


The Right Path

by Madmaiden



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adorable Katsuki Yuuri, Adventurer Katsuki Yuuri, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Angst and Feels, Dragons, Dungeon crawls, Hero's Journey, Holy war, Hunting, King JJ, LitRPG, Loot and crafting, M/M, Monsters, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Oblivious Katsuki Yuuri, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Pack Dynamics, Quests, Swords and magic, Worldbuilding, chosen family, crappy backstories, no system assistance for that my dude, skinning kills, video game violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22640356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madmaiden/pseuds/Madmaiden
Summary: “Big scary war of the gods and the demons, nations fracturing and crumbling into factions, dungeons sprouting and spilling horrors unknown into the world. Me and my warriors come back from a day of battle to a cute little nerd who will use his magic to take all the pain away.”The world was slowly falling into chaos and the war wasn't going to help, but those were the problems of people with much higher levels. Armed with a legendary blessing and an epic quest shrouded in mystery, it's all Yuuri can do keep his health above 0. All signs point to something great but Yuuri cant help but feel like this is all just a cruel joke. Adventures unfold no matter the path, but it seems the closer you look the harder it is to find the right one.Maybe the answer has nothing to do with the war at all?
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Leo de la Iglesia/Ji Guang-Hong, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Phichit Chulanont/Christophe Giacometti
Comments: 178
Kudos: 181





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I am so hype about this one I don't even know what to do with myself. 
> 
> Important note: This isn't a video game, it's a world that behaves like one. So, this is all very much real life. 
> 
> a/b/o dynamics will be pretty soft in the beginning. it's a part of life but not a huge one. 
> 
> uhh I guess that's all. please please let me know if you like it and if this is something you think I should continue with :3

It was nearly dusk, the sky ablaze of reds and oranges like a grand spell cast over the world. The earth below was starting to still, with villagers and adventurers alike finishing up their business for the day and returning to their beds for a night of restless sleep. It had been a month since the war had begun and the tension was high and unaddressed in the air, slowly eating away their morale like a _cursed_ debuff over the entire population. 

The world was turning into a secret hell. One that was not spoken of aloud, but was clear in the backs of every mind. People were flocking to population centers across the kingdom en masse. Trying their best to seek shelter behind the highest and most heavily enchanted walls they could find. Smaller villages could be wiped out in the blink of an eye, and those with the ability to help seemed few and far between.

The kingdom had called for those of higher level to head to the capital at once. Especially those with any variants of the _Adventurer_ classes, _Cleric_ classes, and _Warrior_ classes. They were to prepare for war. Not only against the rise in demonic monsters sprung from whatever hell plane they’d been spawned on, but against the impending world war between the kingdoms and their respective deities. 

Yuuri sighed. 

It was nearing time for him to head back to the inn for the night. His body was bruised and his mana was depleted which was causing his _faithless_ debuff to draw from his health bar. If he didn’t get some rest soon, he’d be in some serious danger. 

At his level, he likely could have survived the night outside of the small villages’ walls, but with the demonic presence in the realm growing more powerful, he wasn’t willing to take the risk. Especially as an omega, without a decent _scentless_ buff, he’d likely attract alpha monsters like bees to honey and not get a single moment of rest. One last glance at the setting sun sealed his intent; It was time to head back to the inn and get some rest. He checked his quest progress with a mental command.

**Quest: Path of the Unbound:** You have been blessed with the divine skill _Unbound_ and must live up to its expectation of you. Raise your _Cleric_ class to level 5 and meet with the deity who chose you at an unclaimed shrine or temple.  
Progress: _Cleric level - 4/5_  
_Unclaimed shrine or temple found - 0/1_

How was he supposed to find an unclaimed shrine or temple while heading toward the capital? There was no way with this divine war brewing that nearly every cleric wasn’t out in the world trying to claim as many power centers as possible for their alignment. The closer he got to the civilized world, the more likely he would never be able to finish this quest. He grumbled internally, convincing himself that this was just the system doing it’s best to mock him for being a failure of a cleric with a deep frown.

Yuuri worried at his lip with his teeth as he always did when thinking that the world and the system itself was setting him up to fail. His anxiety had gotten so intense by this point that the system had morphed it into a title, _...the Awkward: - Due to overthinking everything, the holder of this title will gain +10% to all mental attributes and lose -10% to all charisma based skills when title is activated._. 

It was the cruelest joke he’d ever heard of the system playing on a person. It was known to be a bit snarky from time to time, clearly exasperated with the general populous for some reason or another like anything with its level of knowledge and power would be. Adventurers and higher level people seemed to get the worst of it, of course, likely due to their higher exposure to it while leveling their varied skills and attributes. Some had even reported direct messages from the system from time to time. Usually something vague yet encouraging, or some snippy or sarcastic comment. 

But this? This went beyond snarky. It was bordering on cruel and heartless. When Yuuri had hit his _character level_ 5 he was given his _blessing_ like anyone else would. He was excited to find out what his totally random, system granted, skill would be. It was a rite of passage for anyone trying to level up enough to be able to explore the world, whether that be as some kind of tradesman, fighter, or explorer.

At the time, he hadn’t even had the _cleric_ class, as he’d chosen his two classes to be _Adventurer_ and _Scholar_ when prompted to select his two base classes at _character level_ 2\. 

Everyone was supposed to have only two base classes, so when Yuuri finally gained enough _experience_ to hit _character level_ 5 and opened his _record_ to see that he’d unlocked a third class and was granted his blessing, which was of _legendary_ ranking, he’d believed that he was finally going to be able to do something great. He thought he’d been given a chance to prove himself against the stressed, nagging feelings in his mind. The things that kept him awake at night with his awkward title blinking in his vision.

He would finally stand a chance of being considered more than alpha monster bait in a party. He’d finally be able to prove that omega’s could be just as powerful, if not more powerful than the other genders. That it wasn’t in his nature to want to be protected and coddled...even if it seemed like these days no one but him cared about that. Other omega’s seemed happy to just stay in their villages now that they were treated just like everyone else. Pleased to be safe and protected from the monsters now that they were no longer oppressed and allowed to live their lives freely. Few and far between were the omegas who didn’t want to just try to live as safely and comfortably as possible in their villages. Never even leveling enough to select classes.

Yuuri wanted more than that. Yes, he was allowed to train and fight for the kingdom now. And, on the surface, everything was fine. He honestly wasn’t actively treated differently than anyone else. But inside, he could feel it under the surface. The truth underneath the kind smiles and the ‘equality.’ That undeniable air that no one really believed that an omega could do it. That they would keep up with the training and the leveling. That they wouldn’t get spooked and drop in battle. That they could be more useful to a party than the monsters that their scent would lure. It just wasn’t fair! 

_...the Awkward_ began blinking quickly in the corner of Yuuri’s vision and he let out a pained chuckle as the enhanced mental faculties washed over him. Stewing over these things right now wasn’t going to help him get back to his bed and rest. He needed to calm down and head back.

It was times like these that Yuuri almost thought that maybe the system wasn’t being intentionally cruel to him. That maybe the enhanced ability to think when he was panicking was actually kind of helpful to him. Being able to think a little more clearly in those moments did tend to be quite useful. Maybe the minuses to his charisma were just the balance that had to be made. The system did like balance, he’d read in a book at some point in his studies. The thought made him smile and Yuuri allowed himself to believe it for a moment as he jogged back to the warm lighting of the small village ahead. 

The door of the inn swung open as Yuuri reached for it and he jumped back startled before chuckling awkwardly. He was faced by a large burly man with a scar running along the entire left side of his face, a warrior by the look of him and his armor. Yuuri was tempted to do a _lore_ check on the man to see his stats, but that was considered rude. The man gave him a small smile and nod before he exited the building with a light limp. 

Yuuri almost let him pass when he was struck with an idea and turned on his heel. “Excuse me?” 

“Hm?” The limping man turned to face Yuuri with curious eyebrows. Yuuri’s heart pounded in his chest from anxiety, but he just gave the man a soft grin while mentally double checking to confirm that he’d regenerated enough mana to do this. 

“You seem injured, I have a _heal_ skill. Would you like me to…?” Yuuri trailed off awkwardly, his barely passable charisma doing him absolutely no favors in holding this conversation. The man smiled warmly and nodded at Yuuri. 

“Thanks.” 

Yuuri nodded excitedly and approached the man, placing a hand on his forearm. He activated his basic _heal_ spell and felt the mana drain course through his body. The expression on the warriors face softened and his body seemed to relax a bit. _Heal_ was Yuuri’s only cleric skill and was still at novice rank, but he’d clearly eased a bit of the man's burden which made him happy. 

He also was selfishly excited for a chance to keep leveling his _cleric_ class, he thought for a moment with a frown. The only way to level his _cleric_ class was to use _cleric_ spells. His only _cleric_ spell was _heal_ which barely gained experience. Which meant that the only way for him to make progress in his _Path of the Unbound_ quest was to get hurt. A lot. Yuuri shuddered at the memories that gained him his last 4 levels and returned to the present where the warrior male was still standing before him. 

“I’m sorry what?” Yuuri questioned with an embarrassed frown upon realizing that he’d completely missed whatever the man had just said to him. Luckily he seemed to take it in stride and repeated himself. 

“I said thank you. Not many are so willing to help a stranger who almost ran them down.” A soft and kind chuckle followed the words and took Yuuri by surprise. “Name’s Cao Bin. That’s a handy spell, are you a _cleric?_ ”

As the man asked, Yuuri could feel the mental pull of the man checking over his stats. He also knew that the man would not find what he was looking for. For whatever reason, though he had three classes, no one could see the _cleric_ class in his record. Yuuri also wasn’t so keen on revealing that information, deciding long ago that there was probably a reason that the system was keeping the information from others.

Yuuri held the panic from his scent and tried to give a relaxed smile. “No, though I am a _scholar_ so I can learn some other classes skills with enough study.” The lie rolled of his tongue with practiced ease,”It is very basic, but I’m happy to have invested the time.” 

“Yes,” Cao Bin’s face lit up at the news, the mental pull on Yuuri’s record ceasing at that moment. “Amazing that you can heal without being bound to a deity’s whims. You could heal anyone regardless of their faith or alignment.” 

Yuuri did not miss the flash of excitement that crossed Cao Bin’s eyes and took a moment to activate his _lore_ skill and examine the man's record:

 _Name:_ Cao Bin  
_Character level:_ 25  
_Classes:_ -Guild Leader (Warrior)  
\- Spellsword (Mage)  
_Leader of the Guild: Travellers - 3rd Rank_

Yuuri flushed and how brazenly he’d been speaking to someone so important and the man smirked knowingly at his reaction. Cao Bin spoke softly, as if afraid to spook Yuuri.”Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know and you actually helped me out a lot.”

“Oh,” Yuuri nodded, growing more uncomfortable by the second. Like his pathetic 4th level _heal_ spell did much of anything for a level 25 like Cao Bin. Yuuri wanted to bury himself in a hole. Pray to the system that a portal to the hell plane would open below him and save him from this awkwardness. Alas, he had to continue this conversation in his shame because the travellers guild were the protectors of this region and he probably owed this man his life in some way or another. “Um..thank you that’s kind to say.” 

Cao Bin seemed to have read his mind and let out a small laugh. “Ok, so, you only healed me for 10 health, But!” He smiled warmly, “That damage was in a really inconvenient spot on my foot and it hurt a lot.” 

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh softly. The man was being very kind and even through his awkwardness, he could see it. He allowed himself to relax a bit and go along with the tone of the conversation, giving a joking smirk. “Anything for the protector of the city.”

“Finally,” Cao Bin barked in jest, “The _respect_ I deserve.” Across his scarred face was an expression that could only be described as a ‘shit eating grin.’ Yuuri laughed again, unable to freak out in front of a person with such high charisma in front of him being kind. After a moment of cheerful chuckling Cao Bin spoke again, his tone a bit more serious than before. 

“Yuuri, are you heading to the capital?” 

“Oh. Well, no, I’m not high enough level for the kingdom to want me to fight, even if I am an adventurer.” Yuuri trailed off, a nagging feeling in his gut putting him on alert and making him consider his words carefully. “Though I do wish to get stronger so that I can be of use to the realm some day.” 

“Good,” Cao Bin said on a soft growl, the fact that he was alpha truly making itself apparent for the first time since they’d met. Yuuri couldn’t help but freeze at the sound, not afraid but on alert. It made him feel like prey and he hated it. Though the moment was short, there was no debuff, nothing in his combat log so it wasn’t as if the alpha had tried to command him or anything. He was simply intimidating, and Yuuri was apparently just a pushover. Yuuri’s thoughts probably would have started spiraling had Cao Bin not continued talking, his voice cheerful and light again. “Well, my guild is clearing out a dungeon a few miles out from here in a few days. If you wanted to power level that heal spell, I wouldn’t mind you tagging along with us.”

Yuuri sighed, “I don’t want to be your alpha bait.” 

Cao Bin looked shocked at the bluntness before going back to his normal grin. “You wouldn’t be. No way I’d let you anywhere near the dungeon.” He laughed, “We have _battle clerics_ who volunteer for that. They heal us in battle, but it’s not like they take us all to one hundred percent.”

There was a short pause where Yuuri felt Cao Bin studying his face to see if he should continue. Yuuri couldn’t pretend he wasn’t intrigued by the offer and nodded to tell the man to continue. Cao Bin seemed pleased. “I was thinking you could hang around camp. Keep the area clear of monsters with the trainees and when we get back have you power level that healing by topping off all my warriors?” 

“Oh.” Well, that actually wasn’t such a bad deal. Yuuri had only one issue with the arrangement. “But...do I have to join your guild for that? I-It’s not that I wouldn’t want to, but it's my dream to travel and explore so I can’t um...really, be, you know, tied down?” Yuuri looked up at the taller man sheepishly and hoped to the gods that he hadn’t caused offense. 

“That’s fine.” Cao Bin answered kindly. “I honestly didn’t expect you to join us. We are a warrior guild.”

“I’m definitely not a warrior.” Yuuri said with a soft smile, letting his gaze wander down the quiet village road before snapping back on the alpha. “Why would you help me?” 

“You helped me.” Cao Bin shrugged before a mischievous glint crossed his eyes and expression, “And you’re very cute.” 

“C-Cute?” Yuuri puttered and covered his face, turning deep shades of red in awkward embarrassment that only caused the warmth in Cao Bin’s face to spread further. 

“Yes, very cute.” He spoke as clear fact, completely unfazed by the embarrassment he’d caused, “And I fear the world is going to get much scarier as these wars go on. So, if I can help a - very cute - very kind little _scholar_ keep himself alive by leveling his _heal_ skill, then I will absolutely do that.” A long pause where Yuuri’s embarrassment almost disappeared completely. “Also, it means I get to look at you longer.” 

Yuuri sputtered unintelligibly as Cao Bin laughed proudly at the reaction. 

“Don’t you worry, I’m not going to try to court you.” He patted Yuuri on the head good naturedly while Yuuri tried to return his soul to his body after it had tried to escape. His tone when he spoke again was lighthearted and wistful, “Big scary war of the gods and the demons, nations fracturing and crumbling into factions, dungeons sprouting and spilling horrors unknown into the world. Me and my warriors come back from a day of battle to a cute little nerd who will use his magic to take all the pain away.” 

His laugh was boisterous, clearly proud of himself. His charisma stat had to be astounding because he’d somehow managed to pull a near panicked Yuuri into his headspace, causing him to laugh along good naturedly and understanding the intent behind his ridiculous personality. Before Yuuri had a chance to agree to come along, Cao Bin waved and started back down the road, calling over his shoulder at Yuuri. “Sent you a quest, see you in a few days if you accept.”

Yuuri stayed standing on the spot for a moment watching the whirlwind of a man in full set armor descend into the darkness of the unlit road toward wherever he was staying. Once the figure had completely retreated, Yuuri was shaken from his reverie and noticed the flash of notifications in his vision. He chose to wait to open his record until he was back in his room. He’d gotten quite a bit of loot from his training today and could just take care of everything at once before washing himself off in his room. 

Once he’d made it inside he flopped on the bed with a sigh of relief. He’d been lucky to have made enough money to stay in the inn. The _drops_ he’d been getting lately had gotten more and more valuable, he supposed because he was finally getting close to a respectable level and was fighting higher leveled _mobs._ He turned his attention to his record and opened his _log_ to see the notifications. There were more than he’d anticipated. 

_ >You used heal on [Unknown]. Success. 5xp to heal skill._  
_ >You have gained reputation with [Unknown]._  
_ >You have gained reputation with [Unknown]._  
_ >You used lore on Cao Bin. Success. 10xp to lore skill._  
_ >Talking to strangers isn’t so bad, bet it was hard for you. +1 Charisma. Good job._  
_ >Reputation gains have been applied._  
_ >You have gained reputation with [Cao Bin]. Your reputation is now [pleasant]. +200 reputation points to [friends] status._  
_ >You have gained reputation with [The Travellers]. Reputation is neutral. +500 reputation points to [friendly] status._  
_ >You have gained reputation with a faction. This has unlocked the factions tab in your record.._  
_ >New menus available._  
_ >You have gained reputation with a person of influence. Reputation gains and losses with this person are measured by the system and displayed alongside their faction. Reputation can be viewed in the factions tab of your record._  
_ >You have [2] pending quests in the quests tab of your record. _

Yuuri flipped to the quests tab of his record, the shock of his notifications leaving him in a minor daze. What had he gotten himself into? He read over the quests in his log, the overload of data having still not fully sank in yet.

**Quest: Sweet in Warriors Clothing:** The Guild Leader of the Travellers guild would like you to accompany them as camp support on their next dungeon crawl. To accept, meet the Travellers outside the city gates at daybreak in 2 days.  
Rewards: [Variable]

**Quest: Fake Role:** You have chosen to keep your cleric class a secret from a person of influence. Probably a good call, did you see the way he looked at you when he realized that you could heal him? You should still go with him, just be sure to keep your secret and the rewards will be worth it.  
Rewards: [Variable]

Yuuri couldn’t keep his hands from shaking. Though if the shaking was from excitement or fear, he couldn’t really say. His mind started racing as he considered the implications of the wording in his log and his quests. Personalized messages. A legendary quest. Political intrigue? It all sent a chill down his spine.

Maybe, just maybe, the system didn’t hate him after all.


	2. The Southern Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri heads to the southern forest to help manage the wolf population but finds something else entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A spot of violence and grotesque monsters ahead.**
> 
> Im probably going to be kind of inconsistent with the italics tbh.  
> Once I feel like a new skill or mechanic or concept or whatever has been emphasized enough ill probably stop and move on to the new things that pop up. 
> 
> I seriously cannot stop thinking about this world and am having a blast writing this. Thanks for the support so far! Keep an eye on the tags, I'll be sure to keep up with them so there are no surprise triggers.

Yuuri emerged from the village gates with the crispness of early morning still fresh in the air. A night in a proper bed at the inn had left him _well rested_ and he didn’t want to waste the four hours of increased skill gain lumbering around the marketplace. After a quick and filling breakfast at the main area of the inn, Yuuri headed straight for the forest just south of the village. 

He’d heard over his morning portion of _wolf meat stew_ that the forest was slowly growing overrun by packs of level 3 wolves. They hadn’t caused much trouble outside of causing a bit of _wolf pelt_ and _wolf meat_ inflation, but the innkeeper was growing concerned that if left unchecked that the beasts would settle down and cause issues long term. 

**Quest: Prances with Wolves:** Aerin the Innkeeper is concerned about the growing number of wolves in the southern forest. He’s asking some of his patrons to slay a few of the beasts every time they leave the village to keep them from settling in the area.  
Objective: _Slay five wolves every time you leave the village for the next week._  
Reward: _Experience, Reputation with Aerin the Innkeeper, Can sell wolf meat to Aerin the Innkeeper for pre-inflation prices for the duration of the time that the quest is active._

Yuuri himself was at _character level_ 6\. _Character level_ was a reflection of all his skills, titles, classes, and attributes calculated into a single challenge rating. _Character level_ could not be raised by simple experience like skills and classes did, instead, would raise and lower when the system deemed you more or less generally powerful than you had been. 

The process was a bit ambiguous, but it worked perfectly. Regardless of the style in which one would fight in a battle, two people of _character level_ 20 we’re fairly equally matched. The system worked across all races and species equally, and seemed to be able to measure the worth of all with absolute precision. The system was random and precise, it acted of its own will to create whatever outcome it desired. And yet, for some reason the system had deemed him worth sending non-generic messages to, Yuuri took some kind of strange comfort in that. 

It also scared the hell out of him. 

A distant screeching caw broke Yuuri from his thoughts, only now noticing that he’d ventured fairly deep into the forest. Instinctually, Yuuri flipped to his _scholar_ class, currently his highest at level 7 and unsheathed his _Ambush Dagger_. As always, the stats for the weapon flashed in his vision, Yuuri dismissing it on instinct without taking a moment of notice. _Ambush Dagger - Favorite of the quick and the quiet. If you don’t see it coming, it will be the last thing you never see. +200% Damage if the target is unaware. Base damage +6 (piercing). Unbreakable. ~~Soulbound~~_

The screeching repeated and Yuuri was able to track the direction of the noise. It was certainly no wolf, but he knew what the creature was and surely the village didn’t want a monstrosity like that anywhere near them either. He activated his _stealth_ skill and tried his best to melt into the surrounding foliage. His stealth was still _novice rank_ 5, but he hoped the bit of protection was enough to keep him from getting ambushed. 

An eye trained on the treetops and another on the path ahead Yuuri pressed on as silently as he could while keeping his right arm up and primed to attack with his dagger. The thick shrubbery along the forest floor began to grow more sparse as Yuuri pressed onward, it was starting to appear as though he was approaching a clearing. Another loud and screeching caw caused Yuuri to jolt and lose concentration on his _stealth_ skill but he was quick to reactivate it and look around to ensure he hadn’t been seen. 

He started hearing the sounds of much quieter cawing, like a small gathering of birds were frightened or excited about something. Likely the monster, Yuuri reasoned, and yet the sounds of it unnerved him in an inexplicable way. Regardless of his nerves, Yuuri continued toward the next thick section of bushes ahead of him and slipped through with a small slice of his blade. At that moment a lot of things happened all at once, and Yuuri thanked the system that it took a moment for his _stealth_ skill to break down so that he had a second to process the scene. 

**Quicktime Quest Alert:** You have stumbled across some crazy forest nonsense and now you must choose a side and slaughter the other side. There is no chance for peaceful resolution and there is no staying out of it. Take a good look and make the right choice. 

Yuuri read and dismissed the quest as soon as the words had registered in his mind. The message he could understand, what he was looking at, he could not. Not twenty feet in front of him sat what appeared to be a four foot tall human baby covered in loose feathers, streaking blood and sweat, entrails and dirt. Next he noticed its face. It had a long forehead that had an almost widows peak of gore covered feathers. Two sets of two beady black eyes that seemed to suck light within them, unblinking. A long gray scaled beak that had strings of intestines and gore handing as it snapped at some smaller flying creatures that were circling it. 

Yuuri then focused on the flying creatures, letting the rest of the scene sink in before making his - apparently - mandatory decision. There were six of them and they were fairly small and black, they had long sleek wings that maneuvered effortlessly through the air. They seemed to try to be cawing like birds, Yuuri could see their attempts with their small beaks but the sound that came out was wrong. It hellish and unearthly, something not of this realm and it caused Yuuri to shiver and raise his dagger on instinct. Those weren’t _birds_ those were _demons_. 

As Yuuri took a step forward to attack the demon birds he felt a mental pull at his record. He knew that feeling, it’d meant that he’d failed some kind of save against a status effect. With a practiced quickness, Yuuri popped his record open and scanned the areas that would provide the answers he needed. But there was nothing. 

No status effect, nothing in the combat log, no feelings of fear or paranoia or any of the classics. This gave him a moment of pause. Whatever was done to him was not something that the system could show him until combat was over. That had to be it. As a scholar, he knew of quite a few things that would fall under that category but he didn’t have long to think. He had maybe a second or two before he needed to take action and he couldn’t waste it. He took another look at the scene ahead of him and studied it harder. 

There was no creature he’d ever heard of that looked like a combination of a _dire vulture_ and a human baby. He had heard of _dire vultures_ gaining high enough level to learn a couple of magic spells. He’d also never seen or heard of demons that looked anything like tiny birds. It was like a _dire vulture_ was trying to make itself look vulnerable against a horrible monster but wasn’t quite good at it yet. _Illusion._

And so the level 2 _illusion_ spell was broken and Yuuri could see the scene for what it truly was. A dire vulture had attacked, ransacked, and murdered a murder of crows in their nests. The beast was feasting on the corpses of the fallen and swatting at the few remaining alpha crows as they circled and tried to distract from the two omega crows that seemed to be trying to crawl away with broken wings. 

Yuuri’s heart ached in his chest and he lurched forward to attack the dire vulture. Using his unusually high _endurance_ and _agility_ skill he sprinted forward toward the crows in hopes that the dire vulture hadn’t noticed that it’s illusion had been broken. A few steps before impact with one of the startled alpha crows, Yuuri planted his feet and dove backward toward the dire vulture and activated his novice third level _assassinate_ skill while diving his dagger into the back of the creature where he landed.

The hilt of his blade hummed in excitement as it’s skill activated and it increased Yuuri’s total damage by 200%. The strike plus his _assassinate_ skill bonus caused one hundred and twenty damage which killed the beast without any fight. The corpse of the beast slumped on the ground and Yuuri awkwardly removed his dagger from it’s back and placed it back in his hilt. 

The alpha crows were watching him intently, as if judging how they should respond to this turn of events. One of them had turned their back on him, seeming to head over to their omegas to assist. Yuuri wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. He hadn’t been prompted that the quest was over though, so he knew he needed to do something. His nervous eyes broke from the watching crows to scan the carnage, a sympathetic frown growing deeper by the second. 

His eyes went back to and scanned over the watching crows and noticed that one slightly larger than the rest had come a bit closer. It’s eyes seemed curious and Yuuri remembered stories of how smart the crows were. Stories of magical crows being worshipped by ancient civilizations, beings that seemed to know everything of the world, all connected and all knowing. It made Yuuri smile, choosing to indulge in the folk tales for a moment and offer his assistance. 

He sat down in the dirt facing the largest crow and held out a hand with a gentle expression. The bird simply regarded him silently as if asking questions Yuuri could not possibly answer but he hoped the bird could at least understand his intent. He rotated his hand so that the bird could see one of the small cuts that Yuuri had gotten from fall after his attack, placed his other hand softly over the damage, and cast his _heal_ spell. 

He then showed the bird his now unmarred skin and grinned softly, choosing to speak as quietly and softly as he could, “I can heal. I’d like to help your survivors, if you’ll let me. I won't hurt you.”

The bird continued to study him carefully for a moment before taking the few steps forward to close the distance between them. If a bird could possibly look apprehensive, this was the expression, Yuuri was sure. He smiled at the trust given by the obvious pack leader and gently pressed a finger atop the birds head. He activated his heal skill and felt an almost imperceptible amount of mana drain from his body. He removed his finger and literally watched the bird start to feel better. 

It looked him over once more and then flew to the other crows in it’s pack. Yuuri watched as it seemed like the crow was explaining the situation to the others before turning to look at him. It then looked back down at the injured omegas on the ground and then back at him. Yuuri got what it was saying. He was being trusted and he had no intentions of breaking that trust. 

He got them all healed up within a minute or two and as soon as they were all better Yuuri had expected to feel a mental pull that he’d completed the quest, and yet still he had not. 

The crows seemed to be mourning with each other, scenting and crowding in the tree with the most damage to it. Yuuri was scanning the area and trying to figure out what it was that he was missing. He couldn’t find anything of note laying around so he chose to go ahead and loot the _dire vulture_ corpse. 

The beasts were known for swallowing small trinkets that they find deep in caves and while most of their feathers disintegrate upon their death, the six feathers that lay atop their wings do not and are fairly valuable to fletchers. He approached the corpse and removed his skinning knife, bracing himself for his least favorite part of being an adventurer. Luckily his distaste for the practice didn’t translate to his skill as he was ranked beginner 2 in _survival skills_. 

Hilariously enough it was his highest ranked skill. The ability to survive different climates and live in the wilderness. That was his specialty as a typically poor orphaned novice adventurer. The irony was almost too much. His only other skill in the beginner ranks was _lore_ which was ranked at beginner 0\. All of his other stats were leveling at novice ranks and wouldn’t rank up until the tenth level. 

Yuuri finished dressing the _dire vulture_ and regarded the small object that tumbled out of its stomach. He felt a chill and noticed in the corner of his eye that the crows had gotten tense but Yuuri didn’t think much of it and picked it up anyway. It was smooth and black and felt heavier in his hand than it should. A rush of notifications distracted him in a flurry. 

**Quicktime Quest Complete:** You have made your decision. Are you happy with it?  
Rewards: The Crows Blessing

_ >You have activated the skill assassinate. Success. _  
_ >You assassinate dire vulture with Ambush Dagger. _  
_ >Ambush Dagger inflicts 120 damage (piercing) on dire vulture. _  
_ >You have assassinated dire vulture. 100xp. _  
_ >You heal yourself for 10 points of health. _  
_ >You used heal on [7] guardian crows. Success. 7xp. _  
_ >You successfully used survival skills on dire vulture. Success. 2xp._  
_ >You have acquired [6] dire vulture feathers. _  
_ >You have acquired a legendary item: [Crows egg.] _  
_ >You have [The Crows Blessing] cursed effect mitigated. _  
_ >You are soulbound to [Crows egg.] _  
_ >Unbound Blessing activated. Success. _  
_ >You are no longer soulbound to [Crows egg.] _  
_ >Calculating. _  
_ >[Crows egg] has been unbound and will be added as a companion. _  
_ >Congratulations! You have acquired a companion [Crows Egg]. This has unlocked the companion tab of your hunter class. _  
_ >Error. Hunter class not found._  
_ >Calculating. _  
_ >Congratulations! You have acquired a companion [Crows Egg]. This has unlocked the companion tab of your scholar class. _  
_ >Scholar class has been modified. _  
_ >You have learned new skills. New skills are available in the skills tab of your record. _  
_ >Your companion is unavailable. _  
_ >Your scholar class has leveled up. You gain +1 point to wisdom and intelligence and +2 skill points. _  
_ >You have [1] pending quest in the quests tab of your record. _

**Quest: Weird Egg:** This egg is super weird. You should definitely keep it a secret and take very good care of it.  
Reward: Companion Unlocked. 

What. Just. Happened? Yuuri slumped on the spot and looked down at the log in awe. It almost looked like he’d broken the system for a moment there. And what was the deal with this egg? It didn’t look like an egg at all! It was black as night and strangely heavy. After giving himself a few moments to calm himself down, which was strangely easier with the crows still regarding him curiously from their nest, Yuuri used his _lore_ skill on the egg.

_Crows Egg - [Legendary] The egg of a crow. Likes mana and bedtime stories. The last of its kind. Without the blessing of the guardian crows, those who touch this egg will be given a legendary ranked curse and will suffer for their crimes. Status: 400/1000._

Yuuri shuttered to think what would have happened to him if he had killed the crows instead of the vulture. The illusion would have probably broken and he’d be left with the realization of what he’d done. Then, if he’d managed to kill the dire vulture, he would have ended up cursed on top of it. He shuttered and looked from the egg to the crows. They’d given their blessing but something felt sad about taking the egg from them. 

The description of the item was no help at all and Yuuri wondered if it was because his _lore_ skill was too low or if the information was intentionally vague. Yuuri was no idiot, however, and from context clues he’d determined that if he took care of the egg it would likely hatch into a companion. 

A companion which is something only a hunter should have been able to have. All because his blessing did something to the egg. Unbound. The blessing was still so mysterious to him, it’s description vague and it’s activations seemingly few and far between. The only time he’d been aware of it activating was when he’d first bought his dagger. It was supposed to become soulbound the moment that he touched it, but it activated and left him unbound to it. This was pretty awesome because enchanted weapons can only have three owners bound to them before they crumble. Since Yuuri was never bound to the item, when it came time to sell it, it would not have lost any value. 

This was different in some way that Yuuri could not understand but he was excited nonetheless. The _lore_ check he did on the item noted that the egg liked mana and bedtime stories. Yuuri would bet anything that the _status_ of the item was a mana gage. 

As far as the bedtime stories? Yuuri supposed that he could quickly finish his wolf quest, trade his goods at the market, and buy a nice story to read to the egg in his room at the inn. It was a little sappy, maybe, but the crow that would hatch from the egg would be his companion and the feeling made Yuuri feel warm inside. It had been a long time since he had anyone around. 

He wondered about the ways his scholar class had been modified to accommodate a companion but stopped himself from looking and gently stored the Crows egg in one of the five spots inside his _ring of holding._ He would be patient and handle his level up, skill point allocation, and egg bedtime story all at once when he was finished with the things he needed to get done. The last thing he needed was to stay zoned out in the middle of a wolf infested forest. Honestly he was surprised he hadn’t been ambushed already. That was when he heard the growling and let out a chuckle. 

Yuuri stood and unsheathed his dagger with a grin still on his face and braced himself for an easy victory.


	3. Marketplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri treats himself.

The village marketplace was small, but it had a shop for just about anything a low leveled adventurer would need. The blacksmith made weapons suited for people up to the _character level_ 15 and it was about the same for the armorsmith as well. Yuuri wasn’t wealthy by any means, but he’d been a fairly frugal man so far in his travels, had been left two spectacular gifts from his family when he’d started, and he’d gotten his _Ambush Dagger_ as a drop right after he'd gotten his blessing at _character level_ 5\. He really hadn’t had to invest much coin into his adventure thus far. The only major expense he’d had was when he purchased his _Scholarly satchel_ a few towns back.

Everything was about to change today though. Yuuri knew that he was going to be deep in the forest with Cao Bin and his guild for a completely unknown amount of time and he wanted to be prepared. Hopefully this quest would finally get his _cleric_ class leveled up to 5 so that he could go looking for an unclaimed shrine or temple for his main quest after. 

Maybe he wouldn’t even bother heading back to the village, he had to keep too many secrets here and it would be easier if he went on his super-secret legendary quest alone and got himself as far from civilization as possible. He could hatch and raise his companion in peace without worrying that he’d need to keep them a secret. In addition, an unclaimed shrine or temple would also be most likely to be found deep in the forest or near some runes in the _ancient lands_ to the south. Decision made, Yuuri’s steps became more sure. 

His first stop in the village square was at the inn. Yuuri turned in his quest with Aerin the Innkeeper and sold the wolf pelts he’d acquired from his short trip into the forest. With his small rewards in hand, Yuuri re-emerged into the village square and made his way to the general goods shop somehow more determined than he’d been before.

He sold nearly everything that he had scavenged and looted over the last few months, leaving his _Scholarly satchel_ almost completely empty. Even though Yuuri couldn’t technically feel the weight difference due to the bags enchantment, he still felt some kind of burden falling off his shoulders. It was like his body knew that he was currently purging all the things he’d been holding onto so that he could move forward and start on his journey. 

Or maybe he was just feeling sappy. 

After he’d sold everything non essential or set to be sold at a different location, Yuuri spent his time calculating his needs for what could be a very long journey ahead. Even with his level in _survival skills_ anything could happen when travelling. Especially if he was really planning on going south toward the dense forests leading towards the lands the ancients once occupied. 

Food and water were essential. Yuuri purchased twenty portions of dried meat at 3 copper each to start. That would be more than enough to get him through an entire emergency heat if the situation ever arised, so Yuuri felt like that was probably enough for now. He had a waterskin, but it only held about 20 servings and was losing durability so he decided to take a look at the selection of those next. 

_Explorer’s Waterskin - Price: 2 silver - An essential for any explorer. Holds about 75 servings of water._

_Basic Waterskin - Price: 8 copper - A nice basic waterskin that holds enough to get you through the day comfortably. Holds about 10 servings of water._

_Enchanted Purifying Waterskin [Rare] - Price: 5 gold - In the darkest of times those blessed by the gods can sate themselves with the power of their faith. Owner will always find a safe drink from within, no matter the source. Holds about 200 servings of water. Can only be owned by a cleric._

Yuuri took a deep breath and stared at the enchanted waterskin. He had more than enough to buy it at the moment, but if he did it would be the second most expensive thing he owned outside of his _pocket camp_. It felt like the purchase would be worth it though, that was enough water to sustain him alone for about twenty days. He and his companion could likely stay hydrated long enough to get back to a water supply no matter what they ran into out in the forest with that kind of capacity, and that was to say nothing about the purifying enchantment. Yuuri bit his lip harshly and made his decision without thinking about it any further. 

Yuuri bought the waterskin, 20 servings of assorted dried fruits and vegetables, assorted cooking herbs, new flint, a whetstone, and a few other small assorted essentials for 8 gold. The shopkeeper raised a suspicious eyebrow and reminded him that only a cleric could own the waterskin as Yuuri was paying. Yuuri waved the woman off with a smooth lie about the waterskin being a gift and hoped that she hadn’t gotten suspicious. 

He quickly swung by the fletcher to sell the _dire vulture feathers_ and the tanner to sell the few pelts he had acquired. He kept one for himself though, it was a rather large and thick _floof_ pelt that he’d bought four villages previous. Though he’d never seen a _floof_ before, he could imagine that they were huge and beautiful creatures. The pelt had become his single favorite comfort item and an essential part of any nest he’d made since he found it. When he’d reached into his satchel to remove the other pelts, he’d even gone so far as to run a few fingers across the soft and fluffy surface for comfort and reminded himself to air it out in his room tonight before he starts travelling in the morning. 

Once he’d gotten all of the small stuff out of the way, Yuuri headed toward the armorsmith to get himself geared up. He’d need to get the highest quality light armor that he could find because he wasn’t sure what kind of selection he’d have available to him in the future. 

The armorsmith was the most prominent business in the village and that fact was more than obvious from the moment the front door creaked open. The entirety of the shop was packed with different types and styles of armor. Some were simply of high quality, some were heavily enchanted, some were both. The overwhelming amount of options started to create a sense of anxiety which was starting to make Yuuri panic. 

His caramel eyes were darting around the room in a frenzy as his heart rate spiked and his breathing became erratic. He almost made a move to leave the establishment when his eyes landed on the most beautiful cloak he’d ever seen. He immediately calmed and slowly approached before running his fingers down the almost delicate soft fabric of it. 

The color was stunning. At first glance the cloak appeared to be black, but after that first moment the beauty of the cloak shined through. It was clearly enchanted. Possibly sewn with enchanted thread? An azure blue twinkled softly, weaved into the dark fabric so finely that they weren’t distinguishable even upon close inspection. A soft and subtle silver hemmed the entire thing and perfectly rounded out the piece. Yuuri whispered into the fabric as he brought it closer to his eyes for inspection, “Beautiful.” 

“Definitely.” Yuuri heard from a respectable yet still terrifying distance behind him. Yuuri squealed and jumped in fight like no decently leveled adventurer ever should within the the safety of a village then began the process of dying from embarrassment. 

Behind him stood a beta boy maybe a year or two younger than himself. The boy had shaggy blonde hair with a bright red stripe for his bangs and huge brown eyes. They made him look much younger than he was and overwhelmingly adorable which only managed to deepen Yuuri’s embarrassment. The boy smiled in a polite yet amused sort of way, blushing himself, and took a step back. “Sorry.”

“N-no,” Yuuri got ahold of himself and gave the boy a polite grin, “I’m sorry, I got all distracted so you caught me off guard.” 

“I noticed. But it’s alright you looked-” He stopped himself and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Interested… in the cloak. Do you have any questions about it?” 

“Oh you work here.” Yuuri said like it was the the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Of course he wasn’t being randomly hit on by a stranger. There was no need for him to be panicking. “It’s the most beautiful cloak I’ve ever seen. But I haven’t examined it.” Yuuri turned to and examined the cloak with his lore skill as he spoke, letting out a small gasp at both the price and effects of the cloak. 

_Cloak of Eros [rare] - Price: 35 gold - Weaved with threads of magic from the God of Love. Grants the owner the ability to show their love to the world, in whatever form it may take. +5 Charisma, +5 Heal, Divine shell, %10 Chance to charm enemies when struck. (2 slots)_

Fuck if it wasn’t ridiculously expensive and exorbant and the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. With two slots it could even be upgraded if he found enchantment orbs. The right combination of those and he wouldn’t have to buy another cloak for a very long time. The pluses and benefits of having his heal and charisma skills increased aside, divine shell was an amazing skill for a cloak to have. The idea made him salivate; Every five minutes he’d be able to completely nullify one attack. No matter how powerful! Yuuri rode the excitement and uttered the words he knew he wanted to say before he could stop himself.

“I want it.” Need it. The young shopkeeper in front of him had to have picked up on his excitement because he smiled warmly and let out a quick giggle. 

“Awesome! I mean, cool. That’s cool. You’ll like it a lot, it’s an amazing cloak. The color-the color is going to look amazing against your skin. Or, I mean...Shit.” Yuuri couldn’t help but grin at the mans’ nervousness. Something about being around another trainwreck of a human being was soothing. 

“It’s okay, I know what you meant, I think.” Yuuri hummed while his eyes continued searching around the room. Since he’d settled on the cloak, now he needed to find some light armor to wear underneath it. His attention was drawn back to the other when he spoke again. 

“You looking for something to match?” His eyes were alight and sparkling with excitement as he spoke the words, his own excitement seeming to radiate off him in waves. Yuuri nodded and the man seemed to begin vibrating. “Are you open to suggestions?” 

“Sure,” Yuuri answered hoping his hesitance wasn’t obvious in his tone. The man hopped away and returned with a set of light armor that made Yuuri’s eyes sparkle. The armor kept the theme of the cloak with it’s dyed black as night leather, silver couplings with thin deep blue line down the left side. It was gorgeous. The man beamed. 

“It has gloves and boots to make it a set. Having the whole set will increase the bonuses quite a bit. They all have that same black, blue, and silver theme. I think I subconsciously made them with the idea that they’d go with that cloak.” His little rant seemed to trail off and he simply regarded Yuuri admiring his work. After a long moment passed Yuuri’s head shot up. 

“Did you say that you made this?” His honeyed eyes were wide with admiration which caused the other to flush in embarrassment. 

“Y-yeah, but it’s nothing. And my dad did the enchanting. I just-I liked that cloak a lot and I guess I thought it deserved...more? I was happy when you were the one who wanted the cloak because you’re small enough for light armor and that dagger looks made for stealth so it really works out.. You know?” 

“Yeah.” Yuuri replied dreamily as he examined the armor before making his decision.

_Light Voidwalker Armor- Price: 15 gold - The void doesn’t fear the dark. +20(25 if set) Armor, +3 Endurance(4 if set), +2(5 if set) Stealth, Dark Vision._

_Voidwalker Boots - Price: 10 gold - The void will carry your burdens. - +5 Strength, 10% increased natural walking speed, (+2 agility if set)._

_Voidwalker Gloves - Price: 8 gold - The void will keep you away from harm. - +10% Ranged damage, +10%(15% if set) health regeneration .)_

Yuuri let out a deep sigh and began the process of mourning his dwindling supply of coin. He took a couple of deep breaths, reminding himself over and over again that this was okay. His awkward title began flashing in the corner of his vision and its effects washed over him. He was well stocked and well prepared. The things he’d bought today were going to boost his stats enough that he could generally be considered a respectable low leveled adventurer. Between the clock and the armor, the enchantments covered most of his weaknesses while taking time to enhance some of his strengths. He was making good choices by spending this much, hell, he’d be out in the forest with no need for coin anyway. He was almost over qualified to live in the forest between his skillset and his pocket camp so his survival wasn’t at stake here. 

“How about this,” The shopkeeper must have read that Yuuri was nervous about the price and caught Yuuri’s gaze with a charming grin. “You’ve spent a ton of gold here today so I’ll cut you a deal.”

He motioned in the air with his finger to signal Yuuri to wait a moment then turned away. Yuuri watched curiously as the boy trotted over to the section of the shop where an assortment of jewelry was and pulled out a small box. He returned with a satisfied grin on his face, all the while suspiciously trying to keep the box out of sight like he was up to something. 

Once he returned, the boy grinned happily and continued in a mischievous whisper. “The total for the cloak and armor set is sixty eight gold. If you give me seventy, I’ll let you have these. I know they’re worth way more than that, but I’m going to be honest and say you’re the first omega adventurer I’ve seen in almost a year. I want them out of here, just don’t tell my dad.” He chuckled and opened the box to reveal what was inside. 

_Orb of Enchanting - Price: 1g - Mostly Scentless - Rank 4_

_Orb of Enchanting - Price: 1g - Fully Scentless - Rank 5_

Yuuri gaped and pulled out his gold as quickly as he possibly could while trying to contain his drool. These orbs could easily be ten gold each in a more populated area. He already knew what he was going to do with them when he got back to the inn and it was going to change the way he travelled forever. With everything stored safely in his bag, Yuuri waved the man off and headed toward the door before stopping. “Hey, what was your name?” 

“Kenjiro.” The boy chirped excitedly. Yuuri nodded and thought over the fact that this boy had given him an amazing deal and had a hand in crafting the items that were going to keep him safe. He gave the boy the brightest and most sincere smile that he could, waved, and headed to his final destination before he could go back to his room and look over his stats. 

He made short work of his trip to the bookstore, surprisingly getting in and out of the building in under an hour. This was unusual for Yuuri, which was exactly why he’d gone with his scholar class in the first place. He would have loved to look for a few more books, but he needed to try to pack light for his journey. He was only going to add these three new books to his collection and two of which were for his companion and not himself. He’d purchased two story books one was a series of short stories written about past events in attempts to teach children the histories of the realm, the other was a fictional book (no matter what it claimed) about an adventurer going in search of a dragon prince in a forgotten realm. 

The last book he’d gotten was entitled _Ancient Runes and Spellcraft_ , Yuuri bought the book in hopes that it would be useful in his journey to the ancient lands. He may even be able to unlock runecrafting or some spells if he grasped the information well enough. The idea made him excited and he hurried himself back to the inn to dive into his record. 

He was nearly buzzing with excitement when he finally settled down on his bed with his _floof pelt_ laid out beneath him. He was leaning up against a fluffy pillow with his _Crows Egg_ resting on his stomach. He smiled down at the small black orb and spoke with a lighthearted chuckle. “Hey, egg! Excited to see what you did to my class?” 

There was, obviously, no response, but Yuuri wasn’t deterred as he cheerfully pulled up his record and navigated to the screen for his _scholar class_. As soon as he flipped to the page he was greeted with a huge notification that was blocking out his view of anything else. 

“Your scholar class has been modified. Do you accept the changes? Note, if you decline you will lose access to your companion and associated skills. Yes or no.” Yuuri read aloud to his egg calmly. Somehow speaking to the little thing was keeping him calm in a situation where he would normally be freaking out. He selected ‘Yes’ and gaped. 

_Your class ‘Scholar’ has been modified to the class Worldbreaker [Unique]._

**New Class: Worldbreaker [Unique]:** Your scholarly pursuits cannot be restrained by the rules of this world. You have proven that with the right combinations of skills one can undo institutions that have existed since the beginning of time. _Hidden class._

_ > You have obtained a hidden class [Worldbreaker]. This class is hidden and will not be seen unless you reveal it. Your class will appear to all those who check as [Scholar]._  
_ >You have obtained a skill [Ranger Craft]. Skill has been scaled to your lowest basic hunter skill, [Survival Skills]. _  
_ >You have obtained a skill [Companion Craft]. Skill has been scaled to your lowest basic hunter skill, [Survival Skills]. _  
_ > Skill [Ranger Craft] has hit the beginner ranks. You have earned 2 skill points. _  
_ > Skill [Companion Craft] has hit the beginner ranks. You have earned a companion perk._  
_ > Companion locked. Companion perk withheld until companion is unlocked. _

_Skill: Ranger Craft [Unique] - The specific set of skills one would need to be able to commune with a companion spirit. This skill is unique and includes many sub-skills including but not limited to: Tracking, Archery, Navigating, Animal Lore, and Forest Lore._

After reading every notification out loud to his egg, Yuuri sat in silence on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Not one month ago he was a hopeless dime-a-dozen adventurer who could barely keep himself alive. Now he was drowning in unique classes, skills, items, and quests while preparing to go adventuring in the _Ancient lands_.

It was all so surreal, it felt like something he should be freaking out about, but he found himself feeling strangely calm about it all. In an almost daze, Yuuri packed up all of his stuff and curled up with his egg underneath the _floof pelt_. With one final glance around the room and at his record to make sure everything was in place, Yuuri drifted off to sleep. 

At the crack of dawn his power leveling would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i mentioned that I'm really into this series?!
> 
> **EDIT - 2/14 2PM EST** 
> 
> There are a couple of small things in Yuuri's character sheet that were left out/forgotten (whoops) 
> 
> I will add them in for the next chapter and notate accordingly.


	4. The Long Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri meets up with and starts his journey with the Travellers.

Dawn came quickly, and after a night of restless sleep Yuuri was finally up and getting ready for his journey. He hadn’t gotten nearly good enough rest to wake up _well rested_ but he’d expected as much with his nerves wound as tightly as they were. The skill gains from the buff wouldn’t be as useful today as they’d been yesterday anyway because he wasn’t sure if he’d have any time to train before he left the village with The Travellers guild. It wasn’t much of a loss, he figured.

He’d slept the entire night with his egg cradled in his arms and though he was alone he felt strangely self conscious about the act. It made him feel silly that he was already growing so attached to the small object, like he was already getting swept away with the fantasy of having a small pack with his companion so that he wouldn’t be alone anymore. 

Thinking like this was dangerous, Yuuri knew. Sure he’d seen some highly intelligent companions in his travels, but those were few and far between. He had no doubt that he’d used up his entire lifetime allotment of luck between his quest and his _unbound_ skill. He shouldn’t get ahead of himself and end up disappointed if his companion doesn’t end up being what it is that he’s envisioning. 

Yuuri pulled on his new boots after he’d finished adjusting his _light voidwalker armor_ to fit him comfortably. He already felt more like a real adventurer and he hadn’t even put on that beautiful cloak yet. He couldn’t help grinning like an idiot as he strapped up the sturdy boots and surveyed the room for his gloves. 

Once the gloves were on, Yuuri flopped onto the bed atop his _floof pelt_ next to his egg. No matter what he told himself about not getting swept up in having the egg, the damage was done the moment he realized that the status bar on the item had nothing to do with mana. At some point during the night when he couldn’t sleep Yuuri had tried channeling a bit of mana into the object. He’d been watching the status of the egg with his _companion craft_ skill as he performed the action, and while the egg seemed to happily absorb the mana it’s status bar didn’t move at all.

It had raised at some point though, because when Yuuri had first checked the egg before he started channeling he’d noticed the status had gone up twenty three points. He wondered if maybe it was from when he’d read his record aloud, but he couldn’t be sure. If the status did have something to do with affection, Yuuri wasn’t going to do the job half assedly. 

He pulled out the small box that his enchantment orbs had come in and placed the egg inside of it. The box was made to protect the orbs, so it was the perfect place to store the egg while he travelled. The interior was soft and he could leave it open in the bed next to him while he camped at night. Even if the egg didn’t feel delicate, Yuuri wanted to make sure that it stayed safe. Whatever creature was growing inside of it wouldn’t be able to develop properly if the egg got cracked or something. 

Yuuri dismissed the thought and leaned down toward his egg to regard it with a small smile before closing the box and placing it in his _ring of holding_. After it was safely stored away he folded up his _floof pelt_ and shoved it in his satchel. Yuuri took one last look around his room to make sure he hadn’t left anything before grabbing the cloak off the chair it’d been lain across and slinging it over his shoulders. 

It was easy enough to secure in place and the moment that it was properly on he felt like a superstar. The fabric was just as beautiful as it’d been in the shop and he could see the _mostly scentless_ buff icon up in the top corner of his vision to denote that the enchantment was working properly. Now someone couldn’t tell that he was an omega unless their _perception_ was high enough. With his looks they would probably still assume, of course, but at least now he could take comfort in knowing that he wouldn’t end up swarmed by alpha monsters. 

After confirming once again that he had everything that he needed, Yuuri headed out toward the town gates. His nerves shot into overdrive as he got closer and the whole scene sank in. This was a _full raid party_ of warrior variants. There were six obvious parties of six all gathering and at a glance appeared to be well balanced considering the class restrictions. There were also about nine other guild members lumbering around the parties and assisting with different tasks. 

There was only one wagon and Yuuri was surprised about that. He’d expected that they would have packed more, but he supposed that all the higher leveled adventurers had ways of carrying their own supplies no problem like he himself did. 

Yuuri lowered the hood of his cloak and scanned the groups looking for Cao Bin. His quest was still not in an active status so he assumed that he’d need to talk to the leader before he’d be officially considered a part of the group. He’d noticed a few of the warriors looking him over and tried his best not to get nervous about it. Unless Cao Bin had mentioned it to them in advance, which he doubted severely, from their perspective Yuuri was just some random dude in an awesome cloak who appeared out of nowhere. 

Yuuri noticed a small group of much larger looking men standing over near the wagon and having some kind of discussion. From this angle he couldn’t be sure, but he was fairly sure that the figure facing away from him and gesturing softly with his hands was the guild leader that he was looking for. With a deep breath Yuuri beat down his anxiety and approached the large and heavily armored figures. 

“...three weeks?” 

“Do you really believe that it would take longer than that?”

“This is just as much about leveling us all up as it is about the dungeon.” The figure that Yuuri now was sure was Cao Bin spoke on a growl. The tone of his voice gave Yuuri pause, maybe he shouldn’t be interrupting. “There is no need to rush our progress. We should be doing everything we can to use this as an opportunity to get stronger.” 

“The capital has already closed its borders to refugees and the northlands are falling more to ruin by the day! If we wish to make it to the capital we need to- Oh, hello.” 

Yuuri had finally caught the eye of the warrior in shining silver armor that was facing him and nodded his head apologetically before he spoke. “Um, hello, I’m sorry to interrupt - I can come back later?” 

That was when Cao bin turned around and saw him, his hard expression melting into a much softer one in an instant. “Yuuri, you came.” 

“I did,” Yuuri bit his lip nervously as the two warriors with Cao bin looked him over curiously, “I hope it’s still all right if I join you?” 

“Of course!” Cao bin said excitedly, his words causing a mental pull at Yuuri’s record to inform him that he’d accepted the quest. Yuuri smiled softly as Cao Bin and his associates continued to look Yuuri over with interest. After a moment, the leader seemed to beam excitedly. “You look good when you’re fully equipped.” 

“Oh, thank you,” Yuuri blushed at the compliment, “I decided it would be best to prepare myself to the best of my abilities before I came along.” 

“Is this the healer you mentioned?” The warrior in the crimson armor questioned Cao bin with a raised eyebrow.

“He is.” Cao bin said with a small nod. “Yuuri, this is Alexei and this is Ivan. They are my most trusted advisors.” 

“It’s a pleasure.” Yuuri said to the two with a soft bow. 

“Aye,” The one in crimson, Ivan, answered. Alexei simply returned the nod politely and adorned the blank expression of someone who’d opened up their record. 

“We’re nearly ready to head out, Yuuri. Would you like me to introduce you to everyone before we do?” Cao bin spoke in his typical chipper tone which put Yuuri at ease. He nodded and the two wandered back toward the guild. 

Everyone was nice enough, but Yuuri could feel judgement in the eyes of the higher leveled members of the guild. He could understand why they’d be wary of him, a stranger who appeared to have charmed their guild master into dragging him along on their important mission. The alphas especially tended to get tense around him, making a point to avoid his gaze and speaking to him as little as possible with unreadable expressions. 

Cao bin had to have noticed the tension, but Yuuri was surprised to find that the man seemed to be more amused by it than anything. Occasionally Yuuri would shoot the older man a look and had more than once noted the small smirk on his face. It all made Yuuri feel rather uncomfortable, surely the man didn’t think it was funny that everyone hated him?

Things were easier when they made it to the trainees and applicants for the guild. These people were all of comparable level to Yuuri, and something about being on the same level as them was comforting. Most of them were betas too, which only ensured another level of comfort for him. It wasn’t that he disliked alphas, but there always seemed to be nerve wracking tension when he was around them for long periods of time. And while he had his _mostly scentless_ buff, he was sure that most of these people had high enough perception to smell him regardless.

The guild got into formation and began to head into the southern forest right as the soft light of early morning was beginning to sharpen into afternoon sun. Their pace was slow and painstaking, which was to be expected with a pack of warriors in full gear and a fully stocked wagon in tow. The class wasn’t known for it’s agility and the forest was dense so the few miles of distance would take several hours. 

Yuuri was not a warrior, though. His agility was high and with his newly acquired _ranger craft_ skill, he’d found that navigating the forest was of almost no consequence to himself. Honestly, he was starting to feel like the skill was ridiculously overpowered. He now had knowledge on things he’d never considered before and started to notice it more and more as they ventured deeper and deeper into the wood.

He could see many tracks on the forest floor almost as if they were glowing and most of the time he could tell what kind of tracks they were at a glance. He could feel himself adjusting the way he moved to be as efficient and unobtrusive as possible and he noticed that his understanding of the forest’s spirit had become almost a second nature to him as well. Yuuri found great joy in realizing how much more he now understood about the nature of the forest. Was this the kind of communion with nature that the _hunter_ class had? The idea made him vibrate with excitement. 

The fact that his new skills had scaled to his lowest basic hunter skill also felt broken. His _survival skills_ skill was the highest that he had. This fact that these newly acquired skills had started at such a high level was almost absurd. It was also very exciting to play with as he would suddenly realize that he knew things without ever having learned them in the first place. 

His boredom with the slow pace of travel started to hit a boiling point about two hours into the journey. The party hadn’t run into any _mobs_ that put up any kind of a challenge since they’d entered the forest and Yuuri was starting to go insane from awkwardly marching with a bunch of strangers. His new gear had boosted his stats fairly significantly, and the fact that he wasn’t able to test them out was starting to take a toll on his mood. 

It seemed like the people around him were starting to pick up on the antsy energy coming off of Yuuri and most of the people around him made a point to keep their distance. That was until one of the applicants approached him with a perfectly stoic expression on his face. Without a word, the boy matched pace with Yuuri and walked alongside him. Yuuri jumped at the sudden intrusion in his space and turned to the boy who kept walking nonchalantly as if this was exactly where he was supposed to be. 

The two carried on like that for the better part of another hour, having not exchanged a single word with each other while walking in perfect sync. Many times Yuuri had almost said something to the boy before shying away, he hadn’t caused any harm and maybe he was being a bit rude by wanting to shoo him. 

Finally, one of the higher leveled warriors spotted a cave or something that they wanted to explore and the group was halted to have lunch and to break up the monotony of the journey a bit. Yuuri let out an audible sigh of relief which earned a very small and quiet chuckle from his walking partner. Yuuri smiled at the reaction and turned to the boy properly for the first time since they’d started walking together. “Want to go hunt some meat with me?” 

Mildly surprised eyebrows and dark eyes shot into Yuuris at his question. Something about the look made Yuuri laugh as if he knew that was probably the most expressive the boy ever got. A soft grin formed on the boys lips and he nodded in agreement. This was the kind of person that Yuuri could deal with. His quiet straightforwardness was comforting in a way he didn’t understand. The two split off from the main group and wandered into the forest in search of something suitable to eat. Of course, Yuuri’s true goal for wandering off was to test out his new skills, notably his archery. Though he didn’t have the _archery_ skill, he’d been able to decently wield his _simple bow_ before he’d gotten his _ranger craft_ skill, so now with it and the +15% to ranged attacks from his _voidwalker gloves_ he was itching to see what he could do. 

Tracking prey was also proving to be an easy task, and his hunting partner was surprisingly light on his feet in the forest which came as a surprise to him. It wasn’t long until Yuuri was stopping the other with a finger and drawing his bow. Not far ahead of them was a wild turkey that Yuuri had in his sights within seconds. 

As if he’d had years of practice, Yuuri released the string of the bow with near perfect precision and struck true right through the brain of his target. His companion sucked in an impressed breath and patted Yuuri on the back without a word. He couldn’t help but return the gesture affectionately. They’d barely exchanged words and yet Yuuri felt safe around him. The idea that he’d maybe made a friend on this trip was nice, though it made him a bit sad as well because he wouldn’t be sticking around after he’d gotten his heal skill leveled up enough. 

Yuuri had his skinning knife out of his satchel within seconds and began the terrible process of ridding the turkey of its feathers and separating the cuts of meat. He’d zoned out during his task, not taking much note of what his companion was doing until he felt the warmth of a small fire burning not far away. Yuuri couldn’t help but smile fondly at the sight when he looked up. 

The dark haired boy had created a small clearing on the forest floor and placed large rocks on either side of the small crackling fire to sit. He also had either already had or scavenged for some herbs that were neatly piled on the ground next to the metal crafted campfire grate that the other must have owned. He was staring at Yuuri with subtle expectation on his face as he waited to see if the man approved of his work. 

“Thank you!” Yuuri beamed at the younger boy as he approached with the uncooked meat that was now ready for the fire. 

The boy nodded and met Yuuri's eyes with a strange intensity. He would have been scared if he didn’t have a feeling that the boy was more nervous than his intimidating features implied. After a short pause, the boy spoke with a timid and hopeful tone, “I can cook?” 

Internally Yuuri beamed at the thought that he read the boy correctly and handed over the meat without any protest. If the boy wanted to cook, Yuuri wasn’t going to stop him from doing so. It had been a long time since someone had wanted to cook for him and he had hunted the meat so he could understand why the boy wanted to pull his weight. 

Yuuri spent the time that his partner was cooking gathering feathers to make arrows. He was sure that he’d be able to acquire the _crafting_ skill with enough practice, which would save him a lot of money in the long run. It would be something for him to work on while he was off in the wilderness in search of ruins, old shrines, and temples. If he got good enough he could craft small items to sell when he reached villages, which would be a nice way to help him be able to afford to upgrade his gear down the line. 

After Yuuri had gathered up everything of use and found a small stream to wash his hands, his partner had finished cooking the meat. The two ate their portions in relative silence, Yuuri making a point to praise the well seasoned turkey and causing the other to blush ever so slightly. After a particularly long stretch of comfortable silence between the two, Yuuri could feel nervousness radiating off the other. He started to subtly start fidgeting and glancing up at Yuuri like he was gathering courage for something and Yuuri couldn’t help his instinct to grow nervous as well. Finally the dark haired boy broke the growing tension with a softer than expected voice. 

“You’re not sticking around here, right?” He shifted nervously and his behavior had Yuuri more than curious. “I-um overheard the guild leader mentioning it this morning after you met everyone.” 

“Oh.” Yuuri wasn’t sure how to read this strange atmosphere, but the boy wasn’t asking him about anything he could see any reason to lie about. “Yeah, I want to explore the world. I’m just coming along to power level my healing a bit. You’re trying to join the guild, right?” 

The boy bit his lip and seemed to be considering his next words. Yuuri couldn’t help wondering even more intensely what all this was about. The boy shook his head, “No, I don’t want to join the guild. I just came to buy myself some time. Um.” He awkwardly paused again and mustered the courage to barely whisper, “Can I go with you?”

That was not what Yuuri had been expecting. Yuuri inspected the boy a bit closer and noticed subtleties in his expression that he hadn’t noticed before. Behind the stoic mask he seemed almost terrified and desperate. Something in his instincts was tugging at him and telling him to save this boy, but there didn’t appear to be a threat anywhere. Yuuri tried his best to keep his face neutral and intentionally raised a brow in his direction curiously. “Why would you want to do something like that? You don’t even know me. I don’t even know your name.” 

“Otabek.” He whispered quietly. 

“Hi Otabek, I’m Yuuri.” He spoke softly but with an inflection that implied that he still wanted the other answer. The boy finally continued after a moment while awkwardly fumbling with a black band around his right wrist.

“Officially I am here to assist the guild with weapon upkeep to level my _blacksmithing_ , but really I’ve been trying to buy myself some time to come up with a plan.” 

Yuuri made a curious noise to encourage Otabek to continue but he seemed to grow more nervous by the second. Finally the boy seemed to steel himself and moved to remove the band around his wrist. All at once Yuuri was overwhelmed with the scent of freshly presented omega. It was overwhelming and he almost coughed before Otabek had a chance to put the bracelet back on. Yuuri gaped, “How old are you?” 

“Seventeen.” Otabek replied. 

“That’s old to present.” Yuuri stated matter of factly while regarding the uncomfortable look on the boys face. 

“It is.” Otabek huffed and tightened his expression. “It happened when we travelled to the castle to offer assistance to the war effort. My father is a fairly famous smith so the family packed up and headed out as soon as the war was announced.” Otabek paused for a long time, and although his stoic tone hadn’t changed, Yuuri could tell that the boy was now deeply uncomfortable. “His majesty King Leroy has a very overwhelming scent and was quite amused by the state that he’d put me in.” 

“Oh.” Yuuri was unable to contain the shock on his face but it didn’t seem to deter Otabek from continuing. 

“So that I am not _useless_ ,” Otabek spat the word with so much venom his expression actually seemed to contort into rage along with it, “I am to get my blacksmithing into the apprentice ranks before I am sent to the castle to join the h-harem.” 

“And I’m guessing that you’d prefer to not have to do that.” 

“Correct.” 

Yuuri contemplated his options for a few moments but he was kidding himself by thinking that he wouldn’t take Otabek with him. There is no way that he could in good conscience leave this young boy to his fate with the king or even worse him running off into the wilderness on his own. Yuuri activated his _lore_ skill and regarded Otabek. 

_Name: Otabek  
Character Level: 4  
Classes: -Weaponsmith(Warrior)  
-Rogue_

He would die on his own, Yuuri was sure of it. There was no way that this kid had the ability to survive out there by himself, especially if someone came looking for him. Yuuri set down the plate he was eating off of and faced Otabek with a serious tone. “What I am doing will be very dangerous. We could easily die. We may have to keep a lot of secrets and do a lot of really stupid things.” 

“I’ll do my best.” Otabek answered, completely serious. 

“It could get weird.” Yuuri considered the things he’d already experienced so far. 

“I can handle it.” The boy didn’t waiver one bit. 

“...Fine.” Yuuri decided and watched the boy beam with excitement. “But we need to be careful until it’s time for us to leave.”

“I agree. We will have to be careful about drawing too much attention and about how and when we take off." 

"We have plenty of time to figure that out. In the meantime we should just act naturally and improve our skills as much as possible. When it looks like the guild is close to clearing the dungeon we will start planning.” 

“Okay.” Otabek answered with a nod, allowing his face to return to its normal blank state as he started cleaning up the cooking site. Yuuri did the same, distractedly lost in his own thought about something or another, giving the boy enough time to pause and open his own record to check the progress on his quest. 

**Quest: Follow that Scholar:** Sometimes you just know where you need to be and have to take the steps to get yourself there. You have met a person who you believe is worth following and must now convince them to lead.  
Progress: _-Convince Yuuri to allow you to go with him._ \- Complete  
 _-Find a way to part with the guild without arousing suspicion. - 0/1_  
 _-Be trusted with the truth. - 0/1_

“You ready to go?” Yuuri questioned, causing Otabek to close his record and nod in affirmation. As they walked back toward the rest of the travelling party Otabek couldn’t help himself from regarding Yuuri. What kind of secrets did this man have that the system had made such a big deal about meeting him? He’d never met a person that the system had deemed of influence to him before, but from the moment he’d laid eyes on Yuuri he knew that whatever future it was that he wanted for himself was in his direction. 

The system had all but confirmed that suspicion when it had prompted him with a series of notifications and small quests to assist the man during this trip. Most notably his ‘Follow that scholar’ quest which seemed to be the main questline. His _rogue_ class even modified into the hidden _spy_ class when he’d accepted said quest. Clearly he was supposed to use his new class to help Yuuri in some way, but he was still far too low leveled to do much of anything. He would be sure to use this time with the guild to make himself useful to someone. 

That someone just wasn’t going to be King Leroy.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTABEK I WANT TO PROTECC YOU FOREVER
> 
> Things I left out of Yuuri's record last time:   
> -His glasses (HOW DID I FORGET THIS?! I EVEN HAD AN EMPTY SLOT ON HIS HEAD FOR IT!)   
> -The Perception attribute (because who needs that, right?!)   
> -A couple of small items.   
> -Changed some verbiage for i dont remember what but i remember that i did.


	5. Skill Gains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Otabek train their skills in preparation of their journey.

The guild made it to their intended campsite with enough hours of sunlight left in the sky for everyone to set up their respective tents. Yuuri subtly excused himself from the group for long enough to remove the tent only from his _pocket camp_ before returning and setting up his next to Otabek, trainees, and the recruits. He’d decided that he didn’t want anyone to know that he had a _pocket camp_ or a _ring of holding_ as both items were fairly expensive and rare. 

He knew with his cloak and armor that he already looked like he was fairly well off and decided that he didn’t want to make it any worse by flaunting the comfort with which he could typically travel. When any one peice of the _pocket camp_ was removed it lost all enchantment which meant that he wouldn’t have his _fully scentless_ buff while he slept. Yuuri figured that was okay though, the guild had multiple omegas in it and there was a constant patrol of the higher leveled members. He’d be safe while he slept and would keep his robe on through the night just in case. 

The first night with the guild ended up being a lot of fun. After everyone had set up camp there was a large feast and party. Cao bin had explained that it was tradition to party the night before a raid to lift morale as high as possible. Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was his boosted _charisma_ from the cloak or what, but he’d ended up bonding and dancing with some of the guild members until late into the night. 

After the night of bonding with the guild, Yuuri felt immensely more comfortable around everyone the next morning. The _raid party_ was gearing up to head into the dungeon and already a few had some minor losses to health from morning training that they were lining up to ask Yuuri to heal. He obliged them, thankful that they were being kind enough to help him practice when most of their wounds would heal naturally before they even entered the dungeon. 

He’d even noticed that a few of the younger alphas were clearly getting themselves hurt on purpose for a chance to help him out. While he found the gesture sweet, Yuuri couldn’t for the life of him understand why everyone was being so kind. He was less than no one to them, and yet they were going out of their way to help. Either way, he was grateful and would make sure to pull his weight at the camp in return for their kindness. 

During the hours of the day that the _raid party_ were in the dungeon, Yuuri would spend most of his time in the forest with his stealth skill activated searching for enough meat to feed everyone. Some days, but not so many as to be suspicious, Yuuri would be joined by Otabek who was also training a stealth skill and wanted to get more experience with navigating the forest for their upcoming travels. They didn’t talk much about their plans, but when they did it was usually Yuuri giving Otabek small bits of advice about what would be most beneficial to focus on for their trip. 

The early evenings were typically spent topping off the health of various guild members until his mana was depleted, taking a break, and then repeating the progress multiple times until it was time for everyone to eat by the campfire. Some days he’d eat alone while sharpening his dagger or studying his _ancient runes and spellcraft_ book, and some days he’d join in the festivities of the jovial guild. 

They always seemed to have something to celebrate and Yuuri couldn’t help but start to find most of them very charming. When the fires died down and people started heading off to their beds, Yuuri would plant himself by the warmth of the much smaller fire near his tent and read aloud to his egg under the guise of training his _performing_ skill. This had been a complete lie at first, but as he subsequently acquired and began leveling the skill as the nights went on Yuuri was enjoying the increased gains. 

He’d been reading _The Dragon of Mir_ aloud one night when the first of the spectators came to sit by the fire and enjoy the tale of fantasy alongside the egg. The story was about a young warrior who’d travelled to an ancient city and met a Dragon who joined up with him to save the realm from the demons after a _hell portal_ had opened. Yuuri was sure that although the tome claimed to be a true account of the events that had stabilized the realm in ancient times, it had to be mostly fiction and treated it as such. Everyone knew that dragons were just a folktale. 

As the nights went on and his _performing_ skill increased, so did the size of his audience. By the beginning of the third week he’d spent with the camp he had almost twenty warriors crowded around the campfire excited for the next chapter of the book. By this time he’d raised the status on his egg to over seven hundred and his heal skill was at novice ten and due to rank up to beginner at any moment.

The third week at the camp was less laid back. There seemed to be some kind of strange tension bubbling beneath the surface of the higher leveled players that put him on edge. He tried to shrug it off with the rationalization that they were likely nearing the end of the dungeon and that the high tensions were due to the difficulty. Even still, Yuuri couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. 

It appeared as if Otabek had felt it too. Yuuri noticed that the already quiet boy had grown even more withdrawn and tense than he’d been before. He was also keeping a more than noticeable distance from Yuuri, but Yuuri didn’t feel any tension between the two of them so Yuuri assumed it was because the other was nervous about their impending departure. The two of them had also taken to sleeping in their full gear instead of underclothes, an unspoken agreement that they were both worried that with this tension that something simply wasn’t right with the group. 

On his twenty fifth night with the guild Yuuri was awoken in the middle of the night by a terror stuck Otabek. The boy was leaned over him inside of his tent fully armored with one hand covering Yuuri’s mouth and the other with a finger pressed firmly at his own lips. Yuuri calmed down the moment that he realized that he was in no immediate danger and narrowed his eyes at Otabek questioningly. Otabek slowly removed his hand from Yuuri’s mouth and whispered with a calm urgency, “Yuuri we need to pack up and leave right now. Don’t waste a second of time okay?” 

“Wha-” Yuuri almost questioned on a whisper but Otabek stopped him with a shake of his head. 

“I’ll explain once we’re out of here. Do you trust me?” The boy questioned while gathering up the books laid out in the tent and throwing them into Yuuri’s satchel for him. 

“Yes.” Yuuri replied and sprung into putting on his boots, gloves, and clipping his satchel over his shoulder beneath his cloak. They stepped out of the tent and Yuuri tapped it with his ring to store it. He would place it back into the pocket camp later, but didn’t want to take the time when he felt the compounding tension in the air of the strangely quiet camp. Something was definitely wrong here. Otabek looked at Yuuri expectantly and Yuuri realized at this moment that he had absolutely no plan for where they should be going. 

His instincts told him south. They would have to pass through this unbelievably large forest to get to the the southlands where the ancient ruins would be. He supposed that at this moment they didn’t need much more direction than that and simply needed to travel deeper into the forest so that whatever was going on here didn’t catch up to them. Yuuri sent a party invite to Otabek with a mental command and then activated his now novice 8 ranked _stealth_ skill. 

Otabek accepted and followed along briskly, activating his own stealth skill in the process. They did not run because they didn’t want to leave noticeable tracks or be heard, so while they did make fairly quick progress, they were still in earshot when the screaming started. Yuuri jumped and Otabek squeezed his eyes tightly shut while wincing slightly. Yuuri wasn’t sure what happened back there or why it sounded like a battle between humans that was echoing from their old campsite, but he could tell that Otabek had a good idea of what all this was about. 

They didn’t have the time to talk about it now, however, and tried to block out the sounds of battle as they sank deeper and deeper into the forest. It was dangerous travelling at night, but they knew that they needed to keep moving until they were sure that they were far enough away to not be found. Neither of them dared to make a sound for hours as they trekked through the dense greenery unless they’d spotted something that was likely to attack. 

Starving and exhausted the two of them stumbled across a small pond that wasn’t too far from a cave that was big enough for the two of them to camp in. Yuuri first ducked into the small space to ensure there was no entrance to a deeper section or signs of it being the den of some creature, but there was luckily nothing to imply either option so he nodded for Otabek to join him inside. 

Yuuri took the time to properly set up his _pocket camp_ and watched Otabek perk up in surprise as the buff washed over them both. He then took in the enchantments on the barrier and cooking stove with wide eyes. Yuuri wasn’t surprised that the boy was shocked by the extravagance, this model was worth easily fifty gold in a city, and likely worth much more than that as far out as the village they’d just left. Yuuri picked up the enchanted stove attachment for ventilation and mounted it on the outside of the cave. The item would direct the smoke through it so that they could burn their fire inside safely to cook.

Though he’d never seen one before, Otabek understood how the item worked, and set his tent up inside the barrier to soak in the protections for himself as well. The enchantment would grant a mental warning if any hostile _mobs_ came within a hundred foot radius of the camp. It would also ring a mental alarm if anything came within a fifty foot radius and extended the _fully scentless_ buff to anyone who was camping within thirty feet. 

This would keep them as safe as possible while they rested. Yuuri pulled out and placed a pot on the stove before filling it with water from his _enchanted purifying waterskin_. After it was filled to his satisfaction, Yuuri travelled over to the pond to refill the item to its maximum capacity. Otabek did as he always did when the two ate together and gathered up the materials needed to start a fire for the stove. He piled extra wood up in the corner of the cave before beginning to pull supplies out of his bag to settle in. 

Over the course of the night they’d covered more than enough distance to not have to worry much about being followed. They were likely two or three times further away from the village than where they guild was camped at this point, and while Yuuri had no idea what happened back there he was sure that Otabek would fill him in as soon as he felt safe again. 

Yuuri pulled out his bow and started to track down their breakfast. He managed to find a rabbit and several wild vegetables that would work in a stew. After he’d skinned the rabbit and chopped up the meat and vegetables he’d found, Yuuri handed the ingredients off to Otabek to start preparing the meal. While Otabek was cooking, Yuuri strung up the _rabbit pelt_ on the drying rack that was next to the fire. Since he had the space in his satchel, he’d decided to keep the pelt to try to craft into a small pouch for special herbs. He’d soon need to prepare some suppressants for himself and Otabek, especially since the boy was freshly presented and will have unexpected cycles for a good while. 

Yuuri then exited the cave and dragged random chunks of foliage out from the more dense parts of the forest to over the hole of their small cave. It wasn’t perfect, but by the time that Otabek had finished cooking, Yuuri felt confident that if someone did pass by, there wasn’t a huge chance that they’d be noticed. They were both far too exhausted to be able to stay up and keep watch while the other slept. 

The two ate their portions in relative silence until Otabek seemed to take a deep breath and started to explain what happened back at the camp. He started with a small whisper, “The guild found something in that dungeon.” 

“What did they find?” Yuuri questioned curiously, but Otabek shrugged.

“I don’t know. But after they found it things started getting tense between the guild leader and his advisors.” Otabek paused and looked away guiltily. “I’ve been working on training up my _rogue_ skills so I’ve been sneaking around the campsite a lot. I knew something was coming but I wasn’t sure what. I was glad that you had picked up on the tension and had started sleeping with your armor on. I just had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.” 

“And it did.” Yuuri said with a knowing nod and another bite of his stew. 

“Yes it did.” Otabek took a deep breath. “I overheard them arguing last night about whether or not they should tell the king. I guess Cao bin felt like whatever it is that they found needed to be destroyed and the other two felt like it would be treason to do so.” 

“Oh.” Yuuri stated with wide eyes. Yuuri had his suspicions that Cao bin wasn’t the biggest fan of the king. Though he had no direct evidence, it did seem like the guild leader wasn’t particularly pleased about being conscripted into the King’s army. 

“It was a coup.” Otabeck’s expression turned grave. “I left to get you as soon as they’d labeled Cao bin a traitor and killed him.” 

Yuuri gasped and took a quick moment to mourn the man that had gone out of his way to help him. “Won't it be suspicious that we took off when we did?”

“Maybe?” Otabek answered honestly, “But they’ve been expecting you to take off at any moment. They talked about it all the time so I don’t think they’ll be too suspicious. At least not for a while. And why would they bother coming after us? We’re barely leveled and it would take up too many of their resources to follow us. Not practical. I think we got away clean.” 

“You made the right choice.” Yuuri nodded assuredly. “Any deals I made about my position with the guild were made with Cao bin. Now that I know what kind of man the King is, I wouldn’t want to get caught up any further with a guild that is working so hard to please him.”

“I think we’re far enough away now that we’re safe.” Otabeks statement felt more like a nervous question but Yuuri nodded to assure him. 

“I think so too. We should stay here for a couple of days while we plan out our next steps. I know I want to head down to the _southlands_ but that means we’ll have to not only cross the entire forest, but also cross the _imperial meridian_ mountain range.” To be able to pass through that area they would need tons of pelts to keep themselves warm and plenty of food stores so that they wouldn’t starve. While the trails through the mountains used to be heavily travelled, it had been centuries since they were properly maintained and what is recorded to only be a few day journey could take much longer in practice. 

“Ok, we’ll spend a few days here before we try to clear the forest. Once the mountains are in range we can settle down again to start heavily preparing for the journey.” Otabek said his words sternly but it was obvious that his words were more suggestion than they appeared. Yuuri nodded in agreement because he liked the plan and finished up the rest of his meal without much of a fuss. 

Yuuri studied the much younger and stressed out omega sitting across from him and couldn’t help but feel very protective of him. Already he’d been through so much and Yuuri wanted to help him feel as safe as possible going forward. It was obvious that the boy who probably spent his entire life until a couple of months ago thinking that he’d be the beta son of a blacksmith in a small village for the rest of his life only to end up hiding from the king in a cave in the forest with a near stranger. He had to be so panicked.

Yuuri stood up with a yawn and walked over to Otabek’s tent. Without a word, Yuuri entered the space and collected his bedroll and pelts. He took the pile straight into his tent while Otabek watched silently. Yuuri arranged both of their items into a small comfortable nest before poking his head out of the tent flap. “Come join me when you’re ready to sleep. We need to get plenty of rest after last night.”

“Alright Yuuri.” Otabek replied with a soft pink flush on his cheeks. Both of them knew that was the most they would ever discuss the matter, and when Otabek yawned with the beginnings of exhaustion tugging at his mind, he practically crawled to the nest and into the gentle embrace of Yuuri while he slept. Their soft purrs echoed through the small cave until well into the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to get real now!


	6. Preparations and Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Otabek keep heading south toward the mountains.

_ >You have completed your quest [Fake Role]. _  
_ >Quest Rewards: +1 to Charisma. +1 Manipulation. 200xp _  
_ >You have unlocked the skill [Manipulation]._

**Quest Update: Fake Role:** You have kept your secrets from a person of influence until his death, but made a friend along the way. Will you keep your secrets from those you chose to allow close to you as well?  
-Tell your party members about your secrets. 0/1 [or]  
-Don’t tell your party members about your secrets. 0/1  
Rewards: [Variable]

Yuuri was the first to wake in the small cave turned nest with the smaller omega still pressed tightly against his chest purring. He couldn’t help but smile down at the younger boy in his arms and thank the system that he’d gone with the guild and been given the opportunity to save him. The fact that Otabek had likely saved both of their lives with his _stealth_ skill wasn’t lost on Yuuri, so he decided to roll out of the nest without waking Otabek and start the process of getting the two of them some dinner made. 

Their small fire was still burning beneath the stove, to Yuuri’s surprise. He wondered if it had something to do with the various enchantments on the _pocket camp_ that was making their fuel last longer or if Otabek had simply built a very efficient fire. He settled on believing that it was a little bit of both and moved toward the small pile of wood in the corner to add to the inferno.

When the log caught fire, warmth spread through the cave and took a small bit of chill from the night air. Though they were still pretty far north, the further they travelled south the colder the climate would become. The two of them were likely to make it to the _Southlands_ at the worst time of year as well. Though the winters in the south were famously harsh and cold, springtime in the south was said to be treacherous beyond imagination. 

At least in the wintertime the cold and storms had some kind of consistency, but when spring would roll around it was as if the region lost all semblance of logic. Ancient texts that Yuuri had studied detailed accounts of bright and sunny afternoons giving way to flash blizzards in the night as well as landslides and avalanches in the mountainous areas that surrounded the border. 

Yuuri figured it would take himself and Otabek another month of travel to get near the border, possibly slower depending on the density of the forest and scarcity of survival materials they would find on their journey. He was mentally also preparing for it to take at least another month to cross the _imperial meridian_ and into the southern territories. With those calculations, Yuuri and Otabek would be stepping their first steps in the southlands about halfway through the spring. It was dangerous, but likely doable if they made sure to always stay prepared. 

They would also have all the gained skills that they would acquire on their journey to assist them. Yuuri was hoping that at least he could get Otabek to character level 5 by that time, if the younger was given a useful _blessing_ then that would even further assist them on their journey. Otabek would also become much stronger and the system would be able to give him a better idea of how it wanted him to progress. This would make _specializing_ much easier on him than it was going to be for Yuuri himself who had apparently spent all his lower levels training up skills that the system had not interest in him using during his progression.

Yuuri moved to the entrance of the cave and poked his head out of the foliage he’d placed for camouflage. With his _darkvision_ skill, he could see through the night almost as well as he had during the day and scanned the area for threats. When he’d determined that the area was safe enough, Yuuri exited and headed down toward the clearing where the pond was to hunt for items.

He wanted to cook something nice for Otabek to comfort the boy and give their cave a sense of home, even if temporary. Maybe he was simple, but Yuuri always felt more at home in a place that smelled like good food and had snacks laying around. Instead of what they’d done the day before, Yuuri scavenged up more than the supplies they needed for their next meal. He took his time to properly scan the area for anything that could be useful, from herbs for different kinds of tea to assorted fruits and vegetables to have for snacks. 

It took about three hours, but Yuuri finally managed to get enough stuff to feel satisfied and headed back to the cave. During his outing he’d managed to get into a small scuffle with three _Giant Spiders_ and though he’d been able to dispatch them fairly easily, Yuuri was unable to shake the itchy feeling from beneath his skin at the thought of the creatures. 

He returned to the quiet and soft purring of Otabek in the nest. The sound made Yuuri smile fondly and he wondered how long it’d been since the boy had a proper nights’ sleep. Since hearing that Otabek had been training his stealth skill by sneaking around the camp at night, Yuuri had a feeling he’d been sleeping as little as possible, probably since he’d found out what the King had in store for his future. It made him feel warm to know that the boy was getting some proper rest now, at least. 

Yuuri piled up all the dry ingredients he’d scavenged atop the _rabbit pelt_ he’d dried earlier in the afternoon in the far edge of the cave near the stove before he moved back outside of the cave to the spot where he’d skinned the rabbit earlier. He dumped out the three _giant spider_ carcasses from his _ring of holding_ before digging into his satchel to remove the gains from his hunting. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been at it, but Yuuri was interrupted by a waking Otabek when he was nearly finished up with his task. The young boy yawned and gave Yuuri a small wave that he returned cheerfully before returning to his work. By the time that Yuuri was finished, Otabek seemed to finally be properly awake. When Yuuri entered the cave with the acquired meat in hand, the dark haired boys eyes widened at the sight. 

“How long was I asleep?” The boy seemed nervous and guilty which only made Yuuri chuckle. 

“Not sure, but don’t worry about it, you clearly needed the rest and now there is plenty of work for you to do.” Yuuri looked down pointedly at the stack of meat in his hands and back up to Otabek hopefully. “Any chance you’re good at smoking meat?” 

“I am.” Otabek said softly with the barely visible smile that Yuuri had grown to adore. He reached for the stack in his hands and took them over to the stove. “I can also dry the pelts and break down those spiders.” 

“They’re pretty heavy.” Yuuri noted while glancing toward the cave entrance where the spiders were laid out not but a few feet outside. 

“They are. Got some good components in them too. We can eat the legs, but most of the rest is just good for crafting and potion making.” 

“You have the crafting skill?” Yuuri questioned jealousy, Otabek chuckled. 

“Of course I do, I’m a weaponsmith.” He replied like it was that simple, and maybe it was, Yuuri wasn’t sure. He’d done most of his study on ancient magicks, histories, rare classes, occurrences, and items. He was surprisingly ignorant of some of the more common things that people considered general knowledge about base classes. 

“Right.” Yuuri made a mental note at that moment to try to find a book about starter classes and common progressions at the next village that they passed. While he didn’t have any need to feel self conscious right now, he did. Maybe being a scholar made him anxious when he realized that he didn’t know something, or maybe he was just neurotic. “Well anything you’d be able to craft would absolutely be useful. I’m hoping we’ll pass at least one other village as we head south. It’d be nice to have some items to sell so that we can stock up on supplies.”

“That would be nice, there are some things I’d like as well. I hope to level up soon, most of my combat skills have gone up significantly these last few weeks. But, they were pretty low compared to the skills I used for work.” 

“I’m sure.” Yuuri hummed. It made sense that even if Otabek had some ridiculously high skills, they didn’t necessarily translate to his character level. From what Yuuri had gathered so far, the boy hadn’t seen a need to progress very far in his combat skills because he was going to work as a blacksmith in the village. Until he wasn’t. “We can do some combat training together once we get settled in, if you’d like.”

“Really?” Otabek perked up, turning back to Yuuri after having pulled out some supplies from his own bag to begin preparing the meat. His expression turned wanting. “I would like that.”

“Good!” Yuuri perked up and placed a smaller pot atop the stove and filled it with water. He’d made a point to leave plenty of room for Otabek to do whatever he needed with the meat and stayed out of the way until the water was nearly boiling. 

Once the water was the right temperature, Yuuri pulled out some already prepared herbs from his bag and dipped them into the water to steep. Otabek raised an eyebrow at the strange combination but didn’t ask so Yuuri decided to wait until it was finished to explain. While Otabek went about his work and the tea was steeping, Yuuri pulled out his _Crows egg_ and the book _Ancient Runes and Spellcraft_ to study. He hoped that the egg wasn’t too picky about what Yuuri chose to read to it, because he’d like to be able to kill two birds with one stone here. 

Yuuri flipped to the page where he’d left off and started to quietly read aloud the information contained within. He’d do anything to gain enough understanding of the material to learn the _spellcrafting_ skill, because it would unlock multiple different magic progressions that he’d kill for. And with his new _Worldbreaker_ class, Yuuri was itching to find out if the typical limitations that scholars’ had to deal with would apply. He had a feeling that they wouldn’t, some part of his inner self telling him that he’d be able to learn any spell with enough practice. 

Otabek didn’t comment on the soft murmuring of Yuuri reading to his egg, but it was obvious that he was curious. The boy had noticed many times over the last few weeks that when Yuuri was reading aloud, it wasn’t for the audience that it appeared to be for. He couldn’t tell exactly what it was that the boy was doing, but Otabek was sure it had something to do with the final task in his quest. 

_Be trusted with the truth. 0/1_

He wasn’t worried, however, because Otabek had become completely sure over the time that they’d spent together that Yuuri was a very good hearted person. Whatever his secret was, Otabek was sure that it wouldn't change anything between them, at least on his side. Being with the slightly older man gave Otabek a lot of hope for his future as an omega adventurer as well, not that he’d ever say those words aloud and embarrass himself. 

As soon as he’d gotten the meat from the three slain wolves settled in the process of smoking, Otabek grabbed his own knife and headed outside to where the _giant spiders_ had been left. Yuuri had asked him not to bother with cooking the _wild turkey_ that Yuuri had hunted, because Yuuri wanted to cook a meal for the two of them himself. Now that Otabek was out of the way of the stove, it sounded like Yuuri had paused his reading and started with the preparations for dinner. 

He’d been able to fairly successfully break down the carcasses even at his level, and Otabek was proud that he’d not only manage to not damage the carapaces, but was able to extract all three _silk sacs_ successfully. With these they’d be able to sew and repair their tents and underclothes, possibly even sew up a few pelts into blankets if they gathered enough. 

He took the components down to the small pond and cleaned everything off while taking a moment to fill one of the carapaces with water to dump over the spot where Yuuri had done his skinning. With the leftover blood and gore rinsed from the stone and his body passibly clean, Otabek re-entered the cave to watch Yuuri as he cooked. 

The typically elegant and graceful omega was not as such while cooking, and multiple times Otabek had to hold himself back from simply begging the man to stop and sit down somewhere that he would be safe. It seemed like every minute or so, Yuuri would nearly fall into the fire or drop hot implements on himself only to catch himself at the last second. The entire process was nerve wracking so Otabek decided to distract himself with other tasks. 

Though he honestly wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Never had he been so free to do whatever it was that he thought would be most ideal for survival before. No matter how much Otabek hoped that Yuuri would simply order him around to do whatever was needed like he was used to, it was clear that his _party leader_ didn’t have much of a plan and was depending on Otabek as much as was the opposite. 

The thought should terrify the boy, but instead, he found it quite exciting. He’d never really had to think for himself before. When he was younger his father always had a plan for what he should be doing, what he should be learning, how he should spend his free time. There was never a moment where there wasn’t a to-do list of skills and techniques that he could learn or a chore that needed to be accomplished. Now he was free to do whatever he thought was best. 

He just didn’t have a clue as to what that would be. Otabek scanned their small dwelling and tried to come up with something to do. If they weren’t going to be moving on in a few days, Otabek had plenty of ideas for the space. He’d craft shelving for storage, dig out a nice place for the two of them to use the restroom, start a garden to grow food, or even craft the carapaces together to make a nice place to take a bath. But none of that was practical. 

His eyes lingered on their two tents and Otabek couldn’t help but think about how inefficient that was. Being the son of a blacksmith and a merchant had given him a lot of inherent knowledge about items, so he knew that the _pocket camp_ would only be able to quickly assemble and disassemble if it was properly laid out. That meant only one tent could be placed inside the protection barrier. 

The item could be expanded to store more than Yuuri had in it as well. If Otabek remembered correctly, he could build a small storage box and place it next to the stove and the item should bind to the pocket camp like the rest of the items. This would allow the two of them to quickly pack up everything if the occasion ever arised. It also meant his tent would have to be put away. Otabek considered what he wanted to do a bit longer while Yuuri hummed and nearly set himself on fire again. He glanced over to Yuuri’s tent. 

It was a little bit too small for the both of them but they’d slept comfortably in the nest regardless. He could use his tent and the silk from the _giant spiders_ to expand Yuuri’s tent a bit without much effort as well. If they had a bit more room in there he could easily affix some pelts to the structure to insulate against the cold a bit more. 

Yuuri would probably find that useful, Otabek hoped. It was a lot to assume that he’d be okay with the two of them sleeping together every night, but if they were going to be travelling through the mountains, getting one tent outfitted was much more practical than two. And so, finally Otabek had an idea of how he wanted to spend his downtime. It was a simple fact that Yuuri was more prepared to fight and survive in the wilderness than himself, so to pull his weight Otabek would use all of his skills to support him and keep everything running smoothly at camp until he could get skilled up enough to do more. 

Before Otabek could make any moves, Yuuri was standing in front of him with a small mug of tea in his hands. Otabek took the cup with a curious head tilt and Yuuri beamed proudly. “It’s to manage your heat cycle a bit.” He pulled another cup out of his bag and poured the remaining contents from the pot into it. “Tastes terrible, but it’s in our best interest.” 

“Our?” 

“Of course!” Yuuri stated excitedly, understanding why Otabek was questioning. Most omegas didn’t suppress after their cycles were fairly regulated. This was because most omegas didn’t travel much and wouldn’t suffer catastrophic consequences if an off cycle heat sprung up. Things were different when out in the wild. The schedule was important and any variation could end in your death. Yuuri explained as much with a shrug that was far too light for the severity of the situation, but Otabek understood and sipped his tea without further question. 

It wasn’t long before dinner was finished and Yuuri excitedly presented it to Otabek. Despite the terrifying way he cooked, Yuuri’s food was delicious and Otabek couldn’t help but feel much better after they’d eaten. Before Otabek started to clean up the mess, he explained his plans for the tents and ideas about the pocket camp to Yuuri who agreed that it was a good idea. Now that the two of them had clear goals for what they wanted to accomplish in the short term, the morale in their little camp was the best it had ever been. 

The good mood lasted the entire week that the two spent in the cave. In that time, the two had a routine where they would hunt breakfast together, Otabek would prepare and cook the kill, then they would eat while Yuuri studied various things from his _scholarly journal_ and the book _ancient runes and spellcraft_. When it was getting close to lunch time, Yuuri would head out on his own to hunt while Otabek worked on modifying the tents and sewing up pelts for both the tent and the nest, after lunch the two would head out together to raise their combat skills and collect _drops_ to sell when they hit a village, usually bringing back whatever they happened across for dinner or eating leftovers from previous meals for dinner. When night fell, they would spend some nights practicing their stealth in the woods or training in combat and every night before bed Yuuri would read aloud to his egg and Otabek who’d found himself completely drawn in by _The Dragon of Mir_. 

On the seventh afternoon Otabek finished with the modifications to the tent and built a small storage box for the _pocket camp_ out of the spider carapaces. The box would hold up to 150 weight and would condense itself into the pocket camp item along with everything else when it was taken down. Yuuri had known somewhere deep down that he was able to upgrade his camp but had never taken the time to learn how before. 

He’d deemed it as unnecessary, which it likely was back when he was alone, but now that it’d been done, he was kicking himself. Now the camp itself could hold all of their food stores which cleared up a ton of space in his _scholarly satchel_. Of course the modifications to the camp had increased the weight of the item quite significantly, but none of that was a factor because Yuuri’s _ring of holding_ had no weight limit. The item only had a limit to the number of items that could be stored within it; and since the _pocket camp_ was still considered one item, the changes were of no consequence to them.

That night the two of them packed up everything that wasn’t considered part of the _pocket camp_ and headed off to bed. They would continue their journey at first light and travel the entire day without stopping unless they ran into a village or town. The two had made a lot of progress in their small cave with Otabek getting his _flame manipulation_ skill up to novice 4 and his stealth to novice 6. Yuuri had also seen some great progress. His _heal_ skill had finally ranked up to beginner 0, but to his surprise the only reward was two extra skill points that he chose to save up for an emergency. 

Yuuri wasn’t sure what else he could do to raise his _cleric_ class, and hoped that he’d get some ideas soon. The search for an unclaimed shrine or temple would begin in earnest in the morning, and he was anxious to learn literally any other cleric skill sometime soon. 

The next two weeks had been dedicated almost completely to travel, and by the end of the fifteenth day it was clear that their pace was starting to take its toll. From time to time, the two had been able to spot the tips of the mountain range in the distance, and were regularly discussing when would be a good time to settle down for a few days to rest. 

Yuuri desperately wanted to find a village, but at this point if they didn’t come across one in the next few days it was going to start to get uncomfortable. They were both nearly over encumbered with supplies and in need of some new small items, and while they could technically survive without coming across a market, it would make things significantly more difficult for them. 

They’d finally noticed the forest starting to clear and the soft sounds of civilization echoing when it was close to time for them to make camp. Instead of settling in and making a camp, the two desperate adventurers pressed onward in search of the town. They’d finally found the barrier of the small settlement around the time that the two of them were close to collapsing from exhaustion, and made a beeline for the inn without even bothering to look around. 

The innkeeper was nice, despite how badly the two of them had to smell, and gently offered some of the inns’ cleaning and laundering services for a nominal fee. Yuuri was close to broke but he could afford it, and went ahead and paid for the services. 

Yuuri had offered to get Otabek his own room, but the young omega just grunted and mumbled that he was already used to sleeping with Yuuri and there was no need to waste the money. Yuuri didn’t miss the faint blush on the boys cheeks when he’d answered and couldn’t help but find the young man more and more endearing as they got to know each other more. 

Once they got to their room, Yuuri pulled out all of their pelts and clothing, changed into his cleanest _underclothes_ , removed his armor and cape, and added it all to a pile to get cleaned. Otabek followed along and the two of them headed down to the inn baths to clean themselves and drop everything off. 

The next morning, the two spent the last of Yuuri's coin on a nice breakfast at the inn before they headed into town to sell all their _drops_. The process took four different stores and the better part of the afternoon, but when they’d finished both Yuuri and Otabek had been happy with their purchases. With both of their inventories restocked and all non-essential items sold, they’d still ended up still earning about four gold each by the end of the day. Yuuri couldn’t help but think that was a pretty good deal in the end. 

They’d even both had enough coin to buy large winter jackets for the two of them. They were oversized, thick, and heavy, they also wouldn’t be great in a battle, but if they got caught in a bad snowstorm, the two of them would be much less likely to freeze to death. Yuuri preferred not being an icicle and decided that the extra five weight was worth it just in case. 

Yuuri had also gotten a few new books, most notably the _clerics essential spellbook,_ and _crafting and potion making_ in addition to another rather large book of fairy tales and fables for his egg.The two decided to waste some coin in the village that night with drinks and well made food at a local tavern, spending some time talking with the locals and trying to get a good idea of the travel time to the mountains from them. 

Apparently, if they followed the southern road out of town they’d make it to an _imperial meridian pass_ within a week of travel. The village had a small mine near the pass and regularly patrolled the area of monsters so the journey was considered relatively safe. Well, safe until you actually started down the mountain pass, that is.

The villagers never travelled far down the pass, typically only enough to keep any wild animals out of the mines, but they’d heard stories from travellers and adventurers who’d tried. The stories weren’t pretty. Yuuri had expected wild animals, but the stories of goblins who’d taken up residence in some of the caves gave him pause. 

Most of the time, goblins weren’t too big of a threat, but they reproduced like crazy and if they weren’t careful he and Otabek could run into an entire hoard of the beasts. He wasn’t so sure how the two of them would fare in a situation like that. That night in their room, Yuuri and Otabek had a long discussion about how they’d like to proceed from here and ended up deciding to stay in the village for a few days. 

Yuuri was worried that it would be a drain on their resources, but Otabek explained that he’d overhead that a small group from the village were headed to the mine in a few days. If they travelled with the convoy it would be a lot easier on them getting to the mountain and they could do some small quests for the village for experience in the meantime. Yuuri finally relented when Otabek shared the information that the village blacksmith had issued a quest for assistance with some back orders and that he’d easily be able to pay for the inn with the rewards. Yuuri relented to the good point made and decided that he’d go find the village healer to offer his assistance. 

On their third day in the village, Yuuri was in the town clinic assisting the healer with a broken leg when he felt a mental pull that he couldn’t resist checking right away. He couldn’t help but smile and then gape at the notifications. 

_ >Your cleric class has leveled up! You gain +1 to wisdom. _  
_ >You have unlocked the skill [Purify]. _  
_ >Objective complete. Quest progress on [Path of the Unbound] quest. _  
_ >[Unknown] has awakened. _  
_ >You have unlocked the skill [Holy Water]. _  
_ >You have unlocked the class action [Claim Shrine] _  
_ >You have unlocked the class action tab in your [Cleric] class. _

**Quest Update: Path of the Unbound:** You have raised your cleric level to 5 and attained the correct class action to claim a shine just as [Unknown] awakened. Find an unclaimed shrine or temple to meet with the deity who chose you for guidance on how to find [Unknown].  
Unclaimed shrine or temple found - 0/1

Yuuri wanted to panic about whatever it was that he’d apparently awakened, but had long since decided to just go along with the insanity that was his life. Something about the messages still made Yuuri uneasy, though, he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was, but he had a feeling that he was being rushed suddenly. Should he not be preparing to journey across the mountains and instead be spending his time searching the forest for an abandoned shrine? 

He wasn’t sure and the thought made him anxious. He should have told Otabek about all this sooner, but Yuuri couldn’t help but get very self conscious every time that he tried to. He wasn’t sure what he was worried about, Otabek wouldn’t think of him any differently if he found out that Yuuri had already broken the system once and has been reading bedtime stories to a legendary egg that curses people at night. 

He finished up his work at the clinic and headed back to the inn to find Otabek. He found the boy on the floor sewing pelts for their nest and gave him a small nod before running off to shower. Would the boy be mad at him for not saying something earlier? Yuuri couldn’t help but panic all the way through his bath and all the way back to his room. His anxiety was sky high and yet his awkward skill hadn’t activated to calm him down yet. Yuuri decided that this was more evidence that the system was mad at him and decided to panic more. And since he wasn’t completely blind, Otabek obviously noticed. 

“You okay, Yuuri?” He questioned in the calm and even tone that he always did. Yuuri waited a moment before answering, trying his best to muster the courage to just blurt everything out. He almost told Otabek what was going on, but it appeared that the system had other ideas entirely because a flurry of notifications crowded Yuuri’s vision and stopped him from speaking. He pulled up his record with practiced swiftness. 

_ >[Crows egg] status has hit 1000/1000. _  
_ >[Crows egg] is vibrating. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _  
_ >[Crows egg] wants out of the box. _

Yuuri scrambled to pull the enchantment box out of his ring of holding and open it. The endless repeating message stopped as soon as Yuuri pulled the object out of the container and set it on the bed. Otabek stood up and eyed the object curiously while Yuuri pulled his record back up to see the new notifications.

_ >[Crows egg] is vibrating._  
_ >[Crows egg] is trying to hatch. _  
_ >[Crows egg] is struggling. _  
_ >[Crows egg] would like to hear your voice. _

**Quest Update: Weird Egg:** Your weird egg is trying to hatch, and what timing too! It’s almost like someone planned it this way to mess with you. Note: Crows egg needs a 6ft by 6ft space to hatch safely.  
Reward: Companion Unlocked

“Ok, Otabek.” Yuuri closed his log and placed the egg on the center of the bed in hopes that it would be enough space to hatch. “Do you remember when I told you that things could get weird?” 

“Yes.” The boy nodded, confused. 

“Well, I have a feeling that time is probably now. I guess I have a lot to explain to you.”

**✧○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○ꊞ○✧**

The man stood in the crumbled ruins of what used to be a library with a deep frown on his face. How had such a beautiful and ethereal place fallen into such disarray? It wasn’t as if the place had simply fallen apart, it appeared as though a milenia of damage had occurred. And not just to the library, the entire palace and surrounding area were nothing but a ruin and overrun with deadly creatures. Was this place no longer the greatest kingdom in the world? He was so confused and overwhelmed. Surely this was why they’d been brought back here, to restore this once great nation from the pile of rubble it had become.

Of course if that was the case they’d have their Prince. He sighed again. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stayed standing on the spot in despair, but he was broken from his haze when he heard the thundering footsteps approaching. He turned to face the remains of an entryway in which the other was surely to pass through and waited. He didn’t have to wait long before the irritated yelling echoed through the room. 

“Chris, quit your fucking crying alright? Victor just woke up.”

“Really Yuri?” His olive eyes widened and started to mist with tears. “He’s awake?” 

“Da, the old man just perked up like nothing happened.” Yuri grumbled, “It’s annoying as hell considering we have been here for weeks.”

“Have you told him?” Chris questioned nervously. 

“That his kingdom is a pile of dirt? Fuck no, you tell him I don’t want to get set on fire.” 

“He wouldn’t set you on fire.” Chris rubbed his head nervously while taking another look at the destruction around him. “Probably.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VICTOR IS AWAKE!
> 
> THE EGG IS HATCHING!
> 
> CHRIS AND YURI ARE HERE!
> 
> It'll still be a while before they all meet up, but I couldn't resist giving a hint of what they are up to.
> 
> Sorry I haven't been responding to comments, if you cant tell I have been spending most of my weekend writing and planning this story but I promise you all I've been reading them and they keep me going! 
> 
> Anyone got theories about whats going on with Chris and our Russians?


	7. Hatch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The egg hatches.

Yuuri explained everything to Otabek from the moment that he’d met Cao Bin in the village until now. As was usual for the younger, Otabek didn’t say much nor did his facial expression change until he heard the word ‘Worldbreaker’ leave Yuuri’s lips. It was then that his dark eyes went wide in shock and all Yuuri could do was nod in acceptance of the ridiculous situation. It was then that Yuuri learned about the quest that Otabek had earned upon meeting him and the hidden class that came along with it. 

“So now that I’ve told you?” Yuuri questioned before noticing the faraway expression on his companions face. 

**Quest Complete: Follow that Scholar:** Yuuri the Awkward has trusted you with the truth about his mission and hidden class. You have chosen to stay by his side and assist him on his journey.  
Reward: ‘Party bond’ has been modified to ‘Pack bond’, +500xp, Title.

_ >Congratulations! Your character level has increased to 5._  
_ >You have unlocked your blessing: [True Sight]._  
_ >True Sight[Unique]: You are able to see the truth of the world like no other. _  
_ >Title awarded. _  
_ >New title: ‘...The Silent: Your ability to stay silent even when things are out of hand has become your strength. +25% to all stealth skills when you’ve been silent for at least an hour.’_  
_ >You have earned +2 to wisdom. _  
_ >You have earned [2] skill points. _  
_ >You have gained reputation with [Yuuri]. Your reputation is now [Extended family.] _  
_ >Your party has become a pack. _  
_ >New perks available to be unlocked. _  
_ >Pack Menu has been unlocked in the factions tab of your record. _

Otabek seemed to finally realize that Yuuri had asked him a question and blushed wildly while pulling his attention away from his record. Of course he’d heard of parties becoming pack, but that was usually after spending months if not years together. He stared at Yuuri affectionately, taking longer than usual to notice that Yuuri was becoming distressed. 

“...It’s okay if you don't want to get involved with me any more.” Yuuri’s voice was small and self conscious, leaving Otabek completely baffled for a moment. 

“What?” He questioned, his expression making it clear that he hadn’t a clue what Yuuri was on about. 

“It’s just, I know that it’s a lot to ask of you. Really, I won’t be upset if you’d rather part ways.”

“Really?” Otabeks’ voice was surprisingly more sarcastic than Yuuri had ever heard before, “Because you seem pretty upset.” 

Yuuri sniffled and Otabek pulled him into a tight hug before swiftly releasing him and turning away, embarrassed. “Ok, yes, I’ll be upset. B-But-” 

“Stop it, Yuuri.” Otabek interrupted sternly. “I’m not going anywhere.” He paused. “”Ever.” 

Yuuri squeezed Otabek tightly once more before turning back to the violently vibrating egg that was laid out on the mattress with a curious eye. The last notifications he’d received said that the egg was struggling and wanted to hear his voice. Those messages had stopped as Yuuri was telling his story to his companion, but now that the conversation was finished, he was unsure how to proceed.

He leaned forward and placed his hand on the egg lovingly, trying his best to comfort the beast as it struggled to hatch in front of him. The smooth black surface was warm, almost hot to the touch and though the vibrating lessened at bit at the contact, it still seemed like the egg was a bit distressed. Yuuri hummed nervously and shot a glance back at his companion. “I don’t know how to soothe it.” 

“Didn’t you say it liked it when you read to it?” Otabek questioned as he leaned down to the pile of books on the floor and picked up his favorite. 

“You just want to hear more about that second prince.” Yuuri teased with a small laugh while taking _The Dragon of Mir_ from Otabek. “Though I can't for the life of me understand how that is your type.” 

“He is lonely.” Otabek mumbled with a deep flush on his cheeks.

“He is mean and loud.” Yuuri continued to laugh while opening the book to the page they’d left off on the night before.Otabek pulled a chair close to the bed so that he could listen instead of curling up on the bed, because Yuuri was worried that the boy would attain a deadly curse if he accidentally touched the egg without the _Crow’s Blessing._

“He’s not mean, he’s...abrasive.” Otabek turned slightly pink at the words and made a point to avoid eye contact with the highly amused Yuuri on the bed. A moment of silence passed between Yuuri opened the book and started to read aloud with a teasing glint in his eye.

“His shoulder length blonde hair flew behind him as he paced the palace steps and approached the throne. ‘Hey old man,’ The second prince barked aloud, causing the king to frown deeply at his tone, ‘that old hag is-” Otabek balked loudly to interrupt.

“Okay Yuuri I get it.” He said with a deep frown, “I just… I find him.” 

“Charming?” Yuuri teased again. 

“A bit.” He blushed. “I just wished I could say whatever I want like that.” 

“Well he is a prince.” Yuuri hummed as he continued to read, no longer trying to tease Otabek for his taste in fictional boys. It was no secret that Yuuri had become fascinated with the Dragon Prince of Mir while reading the book. The cheerful, playful, and deadly serious contradiction of a man was an ideal he’d never allow himself to admit wanting. He continued to read, almost physically feeling the tension in the egg lessening as he read to it. 

Was this something to do with his companion bond starting to form? Yuuri wasn’t sure but he thought so. It was like he’d been on edge as his egg was struggling, and now that he was reading to it again, the both of them could relax. He leaned back against the pillows and allowed himself to get taken away by the fantastical tale. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when Yuuri next raised his head from the nearly finished book to look around the room, Otabek was soundly asleep on his bedroll. How long had he been reading, he questioned himself as he checked his _record_. Outside of the notification for his new pack bond and some minor gains to his _performance_ skill, there was nothing of note. He placed the opened book on the ground next to Otabek, stretched his exhausted muscles, and moved to the tightly shut window to crack it open.

Mid-afternoon light shot through the room like a shock to the system and Yuuri blanched at the amount of time that had passed. It had to have been later than noon, which meant that not only did they miss their opportunity to head to the mines with the village folk but that he’d been reading for over twelve hours. How had he not noticed? A light cracking sound distracted him from his pondering and he shot to the bed in a hurry.

“Oh!” Yuuri exclaimed to no one as he watched the seemingly solid egg begin to splinter on the bed. He leaned close, whispered encouragement, and gently stroked the exterior of the egg with a gentle smile. “I can’t wait to meet you.” 

As if his words were the last push that the creature needed to accomplish its task, the egg split open and a rush of black smoke poured from it en masse. Yuuri scrambled back from the spot where he’d been leaning and tripped over Otabek on the floor. The quiet omega stirred with a groan and jumped up as soon as he’d noted Yuuri’s panicked scent in the air. 

The two observed the thick black smoke that was pouring from the egg start to form a shape on the bed. At first an amorphous blob that slowly took the shape of a gigantic crow. Once it was shaped, the smoke became more and more dense until it no longer looked like smoke but shadow. The shadow crow began to move and shift its wings, occasionally letting out a loud chirping that could easily have been a screech. Otabek whispered into Yuuri’s ear as they watched the slow process in awe. 

“Y-yuuri?” His voice was shaking in amazement that bordered on fear. “Are we safe?” 

Yuuri didn’t want to lie to his friend, but also refused to believe that his companion would intentionally cause them harm. “I don’t know.” 

The crow continued to solidify and form on the bed until it was as solid as the egg it’d emerged from. The two omegas continued to stare in silence until a familiar scent permeated through the room. As the shadow black crow began to slowly flap its wings testingly before its’ large eyes turned to regard them. _Alpha._

The two omegas had pressed themselves tightly against the far wall of the room, Yuuri making a point to push Otabek behind him protectively. The crow simply stared at them while the last of its form shifted into place and the nuance of its coloring became apparent. The crow was as black as empty space, and yet, at the tips of its feathers was the slightest hints of silver. It had large and expressive brown eyes that appeared adoring whilst pointed at the two. 

Yuuri shuddered a breath and scooted closer, trying his best not to show his fear of his new companion. The crow rotated its body to face them properly and Yuuri could see the kindness in the expression. That was the last push he needed to cease his fear and the omega stood himself up from his spot and approached slowly. 

“Hello, I’m Yuuri.” He whispered kindly and watched the birds expression seem to shift to pure joy. 

“-Chi!” It chirped with a careful but excited flap of its wings. Yuuri beamed at the action and petted the creature softly. 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Yuuri continued in a loving and motherly tone, “Do you have a name already?” 

“-Chi!” The bird exclaimed once more, this time flapping its wings a bit less carefully and knocking several pillows off the soft bed and startling with a look at the destruction it had caused. It looked back at Yuuri guiltily.

“So cute!” Yuuri squealed as Otabek stood and walked up behind him. His face was as stoic as ever, but with a glance Yuuri could tell the man was also excited. “Should I-”

Yuuri was cut off as his crow burst back into smoke and reformed on the bed at a much smaller size. No longer did it appear to be a full grown crow, but a chick that was chirping while flapping its wings in a flurry. Yuuri couldn’t be sure, but he felt like the bird seemed a bit frustrated with its much smaller size. 

“Otabek,” Yuuri mumbled while crawling up into the bed next to the chick and softly petting the feathers. “We may need to stay here a few more days. I’d hate to take it travelling until we know a bit more about it.” 

Yuuri looked back down at his crow and couldn’t help the flurry of questions that raced through his mind. The egg was said to be the last of its kind, but thus far, other than a much larger size this crow seemed like a normal one. The bird again chirped a small “Chi”, clearly frustrated with something that Yuuri couldn’t understand, but still curled up next to him and nuzzled his cheek. Otabek nodded at the scene with a soft smile. 

“It’s alright, the smith had plenty of work left and I don't mind us taking our time before we head out.” He paused, “Though if we stay too long I’m worried we will go broke.” 

“Hopefully it will just be a few days.” Yuuri hummed before turning his head to again look down at his crow. “Right?” He spoke to it in a cute and loving tone. 

“Chi!” The bird, again chirped and nudged his face. 

Yuuri spent the rest of the afternoon babying his crow and wondering why his quest wasn’t marked as complete yet. Was it because the creature was still a baby and couldn’t behave like a normal companion yet? He wasn’t sure. Otabek, having gotten plenty of sleep the night before, left to go train some stats and work with the blacksmith a bit more. 

Yuuri wasn’t sure when he’d fallen asleep, though he wasn’t surprised that he had because he had stayed up the entire night reading to his crow. His body didn’t seem to want to wake properly, even when he felt some light rustling around the room. His body rejected the idea of waking completely, reminding himself that he was safe and that the movement was likely Otabek coming back for the night. 

It wasn’t until Yuuri registered the distinct smell of Alpha that his body jolted to consciousness. Though his mind was suddenly very sharp,Yuuri’s body had other ideas and struggled to leave the comfort of rest. Yuuri almost relaxed and fell back to sleep when he heard the sound of a voice that he didn’t recognize and the panic of it fully woke him. 

“Don’t freak out!” The strange voice commanded kindly as Yuuri’s eyes opened on the figure of a strange man. Honeyed eyes met deep chocolate ones and Yuuri shot back toward the headboard in a panic while looking around for his weapons. He only stilled when the words registered and he felt no sense of threat from the person. The man smiled and continued to speak before Yuuri could continue with his panicking. “I’m sorry it took so long, I guess the system scaled my level down to half of yours, so it was hard for me to get my shift right at first.” 

“W-what?” Yuuri stammered at the strange sentence. 

“Oh!” The man chirped excitedly and at that moment Yuuri finally really looked at him. His skin and eyes were a bit darker than his own, but somehow the expression and scent of the strange Alpha seemed familiar to him. “I meant when I used the last of my mana to shift last time I didn’t get it right and ended up too small.” He frowned at Yuuri cutely before continuing, “But its’ alright now! I forgot what it was like not to be a crow, so when I wanted to be smaller I think my magic just couldn’t remember how to take this form.” 

“WHAT?!” Yuuri questioned again as his shock started to dissolve. 

“What?” The man tilted his head in confusion. “Oh! Do you not recognize me, Yuuri?” 

Yuuri shook his head but the pieces were starting to come together for him.

“It’s me, your companion! Thank you for saving me from that egg. It was like a prison and I thought I'd be there forever.” 

“You’re?” Yuuri was still stuttering but the man seemed unfazed.

“Yes!” The alpha bounced excitedly on the bed. “I’m Phichit! I’ve been so excited to meet you!” He chirped excitedly a few times before settling down. “You have great taste in books! I haven’t thought about those days in centuries. Even if some of the facts are off and they left out me and Chris, it’s a pretty accurate description of Victor.”

“What?” Yuuri wondered if he was still sleeping or having a stroke. 

“Oh Yuuri,” Phichit cooed while petting Yuuri gently on the head. “This is a lot, huh?” 

Yuuri could only nod slowly. 

“Ok, how about you get some more sleep and I explain it to you and Otabek properly in the morning?” 

Yuuri could again only nod as the man poofed into a cloud of smoke and reformed as the cute baby chick it had been before he’d fallen asleep. The bird then waddled up on his chest and scrunched itself into a small loaf while releasing calming pheromones into the air at high levels. Yuuri wanted to resist the calm that washed over him but found himself unable as he drifted back into a restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who saw it coming?
> 
> Also, sorry it took so long. While I knew what I wanted to happen, I'd really done most of my outlining for what happens /after/ the egg hatches and not much at all for the actual scene... My notes just said: 'egg hatch chapter! Meet phichit (lol that rhymes)' - ... It wasn't very helpful.


	8. Bonus: Chris 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus chapter from the perspective of Chris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wont do stuff like this too often, as I'd like for the audience to find important story stuff out along with Yuuri, but I also decided that I'll do bonus chapters of this nature for certain milestones. This one is for 1000 views! 
> 
> If you're squishy on the inside, I suggest a tissue.

Chris closed the flap on his small tent and rested his head on the rolled up pelt that he was using as a pillow. The moment he felt the comfort of aloneness, he allowed his mask to crumble. His olive eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears as the omega curled himself into a ball and pulled up his record again. 

_ >Your mate has been released. Renew mating bond? [Yes] or [No] _

One of the pooling tears ran down his cheek as he mentally selected the option for [Yes].

_ >Error. [Unbound]. _  
_ >Calculating. _  
_ >Your mate has been released. Renew mating bond? [Yes] or [No] _

A few more tears followed the trail down toward his pillow. He again selected yes. 

_ >Error. [Unbound]. _  
_ >Calculating. _  
_ >Your mate has been released. Renew mating bond? [Yes] or [No] _

He repeated the process until well into the night. He’d finally fallen into a restless sleep atop his tear stained pillow after hours of the repeating prompt. When he finally awoke in the morning and emerged from his small dwelling, his companions pretended not to see the swelling of his eyes as he plastered on his most pleasant smile and greeted them. It wasn’t the first morning that one of the three had awoken in such a state, as they had all lost more than they’d ever imagined since they’d fallen into their slumber, and as such they chose to allow them each to grieve in their own ways. 

None of them saw benefit in discussing the matters between them. They all silently feared the pain would rip them all apart. 

“Good morning, my loves.” The omega waved with a flourish as he regarded the two alphas who were arguing over the stove as if they were still children. 

“Cut it out, old man, you’re going to burn it all!” 

“Yurio, have you no faith in me?” Victor attempted to appear aghast instead of amused to no avail.

“No! Every time you cook it’s burnt like hell, let me do it.” 

“Good morning, Christophe, did you rest well?” Victor turned toward the omega with a smirk, outright ignoring the snide comments from his younger brother. Chris couldn’t help but chuckle at the exchange, happy that even in this dreary moment that some things would never change between the two princes. 

“I did, thank you.” Chris lied. It wasn’t a very convincing lie and he was sure that all present knew it was a lie, but the conversation went on as it had any other time one of them said something of that nature. 

Of course they weren’t fine. After Victor had awoken, the three finally had enough attack power to clear out most of the monsters that had been inhabiting the area. They’d even found the town altar, which would have normally been a godsend that would allow them the ability to reclaim the kingdom. The problem was, that when they’d finally located the object and Victor had attempted to claim the area he was given a prompt. 

_ >Mir cannot be claimed by a fallen empire. _  
_ >New Dynasty required. _

The message was the same when Yuri had tried, and again when he himself had tried. The realization that their home country would be forever lost to them filled the group with unparalleled dread. They had assumed that they’d been awakened into this new age for some kind of grand purpose, but the reality of their situation seemed much bleaker than that. 

The whole area was abandoned. They couldn’t reclaim the city. All of their levels had been halved, and almost all of Victors’ attack spells were back in the beginner ranks. They’d clearly been in rest for at least two thousand years, and they’d heard rumors that there was a newly presented demonic presence in the north. 

Hadn’t they sacrificed everything to lock the demon king away? What reason had he lost his mate if the result would be that the demon plane would just break into their realm again? His mind wandered back into his record once more, still flickering in his notification as if to cruelty taunt him was a prompt. 

_ >Your mate has been released. Renew mating bond? [Yes] or [No] _

It had been two days since he’d first seen the prompt and in that time he’d likely selected yes more than a thousand times only for the same cycle of messages to cross his vision again and again. Though it broke his heart and made him feel as if he was dying on a regular basis, Chris would never give up, he’d resigned himself to forever have the prompt blinking in the corner of his vision, because selecting the option for [No] would never be an option. 

He would die before he gave up on his mate, alive or dead. Phichit had given up his humanity and his eternity to protect them all, so the least that he could do was endure a single lifetime without him and with the constant reminder of their love blinking wildly in the corner of his vision. Phichit gave them everything and somehow as a result of his actions they’d been awakened in this time. There had to have been a reason for all of this. Something Phichit had wanted them to do. 

Chris decided it was time for the three of them to get to work on a plan. He scanned through his active quests in hopes that any of them would stand out. There was nothing noteworthy, mostly small things like securing food and housing, cleaning up the ruins, clearing a den of goblins up in the mountains, and securing safe passage to the _imperial meridian_ from the settlement. These were typical, dime a dozen area quests, and though the three of them were much lower leveled than they were used to, the work seemed a bit below them. He sighed and decided to simply ask the others if they had anything interesting going on. 

“Do either of you have any interesting quests?” Chris blurted out over the burnt meat they were having for breakfast. 

Yuri shrugged casually, “Normal stuff. Clear the area, stuff like that. Things you’d expect when trying to settle an area. How about you Vitya?” 

Victor seemed tense, but Chris wasn’t surprised. Even with the loss of power they’d all experienced, Victor was still immensely powerful by this realms standards. Where before they’d slept he would have easily been considered a god, his power now was simply well above average. That meant the level of quests granted to him by the system were typically of another caliber all together. If there was anything interesting to be done, it was probably in Victors record. Victor finally brought his sharp ice blue eyes into his own and he startled at the intensity in them. “I have no quests.” 

“None?!” Chris and Yuri yelled at the same time, causing Victor to tighten even more. It was extremely uncommon for someone to not have a single quest from the system, even if something mediocre like ‘harvest the crops.’ Victor nodded his head to confirm that this was the case for himself. 

“How?” Chris whispered curiously while Victor shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I haven’t had one since I woke up.” An uncomfortable silence fell over the three of them as they contemplated the implications of the situation. None of them came to any solid conclusions after a few moments so Chris decided to lighten the mood. 

“Well I have a quest to clear the road to the meridian. Maybe the system is trying to set us up to take refugees from the war up north?” 

“What good are refugees if we cannot claim the land?” Victor stated plainly, clearly much more upset than he was trying to let on. His comment dampened the mood for a moment, but Chris wasn’t going to give up. Peach was always looking on the bright side when they ran into trouble, so he supposed that he’d have to take over his job now. 

“We just need to find someone we trust to claim the land for us.” Chris was suddenly stricken with the idea and promptly rewarded with a quest for his efforts. 

**Profession Quest [Advisor] - The Omega King:** The First Omega King will rise in the south atop the ruins of the greatest civilization in history. If he is well-advised, that is.  
_-Convince the former princes to relinquish their claim 0/2_  
_-Find the rightful King of the South 0/1_  
_-Convince the King to take the throne 0/1_

Well, shit. He’d really brought it on himself, hadn’t he?

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heart.  
> Broken.


	9. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otabek is given a gift.

Otabek was skillful in a way that many weren’t at his age. His work was laced with a sense of tradition - the kind that was known to kill artistic spirit and leave behind soulless yet sturdy works in its wake. Yet still, his artistry was undeniable; each strike of the hammer was weld with exactness and a uniquely personal flare. His work was a stark contrast of himself, it was bold, attention seeking, stylish, and demanding. The boy himself was nothing of the sort. 

This somehow made his personal charm all the more alluring. He was steadfast and focused, he did his work without complaint and the blacksmith was well aware that the pay he’d been offering was laughably low for the quality of work he’d received. The boy was supposed to have left for the mines with the supply run this morning. When asked, Otabek simply shrugged and stated that it seemed as if he’d needed more help here. This, of course, was an understatement. 

Since the official announcement for the war rang through the land the small town had seen more travellers than in previous years combined. Being the largest settlement in this southern part of the forest meant that every wannabe adventurer in every small village for miles was flocking to this town in hopes of starting their own respective adventures. Weapons were flying off the shelves as younger and younger fighters started their journeys wishing to attain glory to take back to their hometowns. 

The man couldn’t blame them for the desperation. Every war throughout history was a gold rush for newbie adventurers and beginner guilds. Empires could be built as easily as they could be lost when things started to come to a head. Higher leveled adventurers will all make their way to the front lines, leaving behind a vacuum of lawlessness across the realm. The young adults left behind will train themselves up to protect their homes, or turn into bandits and opportunists. 

Town guild halls will then hit a surge of new registers as the newly leveled adventurers form parties and packs. The strongest securing towns and growing in number and the worse being overrun or rotting from the inside out. The best protected and luckiest villages will see those from smaller and less defended areas flock to their safety, either opening them up to more danger or bolstering their numbers against it. The guilds become heroes that either continue to protect their people until revered, or fall into corruption and militant control. 

Rebellions will rise and fall throughout the lands. New kings will be born while those at the front lines are still too overrun with warfare to douse the flames from fracturing the kingdom. Dungeons will sprout from the energies of battle and strife in the air sweeping the land. The dungeons themselves will introduce riches and ancient magicks into the realm once more. Great power could fall into the hands of any adventurer during wartime, it seemed, and the ways in which that power was unleashed would likely reshape the realm forever under a new kind of peace. All as it had many times in the past. 

It was the natural cycle of the system, it seemed. 

The older gentleman couldn’t help but allow a grin to spread across his face as he regarded the young omega blacksmith that had somehow found himself in his own smithy. What part of the cycle was the young man caught in, he wondered. No doubt the war had already taken its toll on the boy, his eyes were deeply emotional and yet haphazardly covered in stone with a guise of okayness. A talent like his was meant for the capital, for the front lines, for...not his tiny shop. And definitely not for his pittance of a payscale. His grin melted into a dissatisfied frown. 

“Otabek.” He spoke softly, interrupting the omega from starting work on repairing another sword. Otabek ceased motion and turned toward him with only the slightest hint of curiosity on his stoic face, the blacksmith smiled fondly. “I want to thank you.”

“There is no need,” The boy stated plainly,and continuing before he was cut off, “I should be thanking you for th-” 

“Hush, boy.” The older man interrupted with a wave of his hand and an affectionately harsh tone. “You know your work is worth more than I’ve been paying ya, so listen up, I have a gift for you.” 

“There’s really no need sir, I-” 

“I believe I said hush.” The man interrupted again with a chuckle and following it up with a teasing mumble. “And you’re supposed to be the quiet type, can’t believe this is so hard for you.” 

Otabek would not be baited and kept his mouth shut, earning another chuckle from the old man. “Anyway, You’re ranked beginner in your smithing, right?” 

“Yes sir.” Otabek answered, “Beginner four.” 

“And your crafting?” He questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

“Novice eight.” Otabek replied less confidently. It wasn’t bad, but it was nothing impressive like his blacksmithing skill. 

“Hmm…” The man thought for a moment. “Any chance you have some unused skill points stashed away?” 

“Two sir.” Otabek wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, but he was definitely unnerved by where this conversation could be going. 

“Any chance you’d be willing to trust an old man and use those points to boost your crafting to beginner zero?” 

Otabek should have had some kind of reservations about doing this. He barely knew this man and people generally didn’t discuss their records so intimately with people that they weren’t training with. He should have been worried about all this, and yet, Otabek could clearly see a glint of excited mischief in the man's eye that was unbelievably endearing. The look had made the older gentleman seem like a young man again, and that young man was excitedly about to tell him a secret. There was a kind of buzzing in the back of Otabeks’ mind that assured him that the man was being truthful, sincere, honest. _True sight?_ He wasn’t sure, but he decided to trust his instincts. “Okay.” He mumbled before opening his record and allocating the points accordingly.

_ >You used [2] skill points on skill [Crafting] _  
_ >Skill gain boosted being in the presence of a [Sage] ranked crafter. _  
_ >Crafting has been raised to [Beginner 0]_  
_ >A [Sage] would like to teach you a skill. Do you accept? [Yes] or [No]?_

Otabek selected [Yes] and closed his record in awe. This man was a _sage_ ranked crafter? That was equivalent to almost level seventy. He almost lost his composure for a moment when the man raised an amused eyebrow in his direction. “You ready for your gift?” 

“Y-Yes sir.” Otabek finally managed to squeak out through his gaping. 

When Otabek left the blacksmiths shop he knew it would be for the last time. The blacksmith had closed the business down early to impart some wisdom onto him and sent him away with a soft smile and a very pointed goodbye. It was time for them to move on now, Otabek and even the blacksmith were sure of it. He made his way to the market to grab supplies for his new venture and sell the items that the blacksmith had helped him create. 

He was excited to show off what he’d learned, but wanted to surprise Yuuri and Phichit once they were on the road. The blacksmith had taught him _enchant_ at the beginner ranks and then taught Otabek how to combine the _blacksmithing, crafting,_ and enchanting skills together under the guidance of a _sage_ to unlock the skill _arcane item creation_. Which he now had. At rank beginner 8. 

He could now craft all kinds of enchanted items. The combination of his three skills had given him the ability to create items he’d never have been able to before. And beyond that, there was now a 20% chance that an item he creates will be naturally enchanted. Essentially, he’d found another way that he can be an asset to his pack.

It was shocking how quickly the three of them had become an obvious pack. It was the third day since Phichit had hatched and Yuuri was finally starting to accept the situation. It had been pretty hard on him at first. Otabek supposed that was mostly because Yuuri was a scholar, very stubborn and set in his ways when it came to facts about the universe. The older omega was used to the world being black and white - straight from his textbooks. This thing with their new alpha companion was hardly something Yuuri could allow himself to believe in easily.

His denial had been adorable, at first. 

At first, Yuuri refused to believe that Phichit had been a person who’d become a legendary crow. Yuuri was convinced that this was impossible and that Phichit was obviously just a crow that was able to shift to a human form. Their debate was settled when the system apparently confirmed Phichits story vaguely at the end of some egg quest. Otabek wasn’t sure as he’d zoned the two of them out hours previous and had been studying his new skill as subtly as he could on the chair by the window.

Somehow their constant bickering had turned from mostly serious to a complete joke fairly quickly. Yuuri and Phichit were obvious best friend soulmates and even if Otabek wanted to feel jealous it was impossible because somehow in just three days the alpha had become the doting big brother of their little starter pack. He’d never felt so warm and loved in his entire life as he did when the three of them were cuddled up on the bed of the inn at night or making grand plans for their future adventures together. Even though Otabek didn’t talk much, he always felt a part of the conversation. It was nice.

At first he’d been worried about having an alpha around sleeping with them at night. Even though he felt safe with Phichit, there was a small part of him that was still very scared of being too close to alphas. He’d assumed that Yuuri had the same worries or at least needed some confirmation from the alpha, because he’d overheard Yuuri asking Phichit about it early this morning. 

_”Hey Peach,” Yuuri whispered while rolling over on his side toward the alpha. “Why is it that I feel so safe with you, is that the companion bond?”_

_“You mean, like, as an alpha?” Yuuri nodded in response and Phichit made a soft humming noise, “I guess it’s because I’m mated.”_

_“You’re mated?” Yuuri squeaked before frowning into Phichits expression. “Oh.”_

_“Yep, I was in that egg for,” Phichit paused to do some mental math and quietly mumbling, “two hundred and eighty five generations of crows...so that’s almost two thousand four hundred years, give or take.” Yuuri gasped but Phichit kept talking, “And in that time, with all that emptiness, you lose a lot of the memories. But I never lost my mate. I can still faintly smell his scent sometimes when I’m waking up. He’s forever a part of me - Oh Yuuri don’t cry.”_

_“I’m sorry!” Yuuri wailed before his tears were muffled by a tight hug from the alpha. The two descended into hushed assurances and sorries until they finally seemed to settle and try to sleep some more. The last thing Otabek heard before he fell back asleep was Yuuri’s whispered promise and the assurances of their next steps as a party. “I’ll take you back there, Peach, so that you can say your goodbyes. Right after I clear this next quest.”_

_“All right Yuuri, then let me help you find your shrine as a thank you.”_

_“How?” Yuuri whispered._

_“I’ll ask the crows.”_

Otabek excitedly presented Phichit with the starter armor and weapon that he’d made at the blacksmith with his new _arcane item creation_ skill. They weren’t anything spectacular, but they were enchanted to boost skill gain and stealth. He wouldn’t be able to make anything quite this good on his own, but he’d dedicated his time while instructed by the _Sage_ to outfitting their newest member. Yuuri had already gotten the alpha a small satchel, basic waterskin, and a warm coat to start out. 

It was obvious Phichit was uncomfortable with having to rely on them so much while starting out, but he relented when Yuuri wouldn’t explain himself any further than stating that they were family and this is normal. There was no arguing with Yuuri when he was serious and Peach was starting to figure it out, it seemed, 

Finally they were all outfitted and ready to go, and when Phichit tried on his new gear and excitedly chirped about the high quality, Otabek couldn’t help but prematurely blurt out his surprise. “Actually I made it.” A dark flush crossed Otabeks face as he was immediately bombarded with praise and questions. Pretending to be exasperated he returned the hugs to Yuuri and Phichit, Otabek started telling the exciting tale of his last few days with the blacksmith. Yuuris’ praise came as a shock to him, but not in the way he’d expected. 

“Oh my god, Otabek, you made such a good impression on a Sage that he wanted to teach you?” The young scholar beamed and then squeezed him tightly once more, “I’m so proud of you, you must have worked really hard.” 

There were times where Otabek started to worry that he would someday miss his family. That he would think of the place that he left behind and question if he’d made the right choice in running off with Yuuri. And then there were times like these, where Otabek found himself in tears because of how foreign the love he felt from Yuuri was to him. He’d always thought he’d had a loving upbringing. 

He’d been praised before, sure. But the praise he’d received was always based on his performance. ‘You ranked up, son.’ ‘Your skill gains are high this week.’ ‘It took the Miller’s boy a whole week to pick up that technique.’ Otabek had never been praised for his hard work before. He’d expected Yuuri to comment on the rare skill, or the fact that he’d made it to beginner ranks. But no, here Yuuri sat hugging him with tears in his eyes, praising him for his _hard work_ while Phichit did a happy dance around the room in his new gear. He didn’t have to think that he had a loving family now.

He knew it.


	10. Adventure Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would honestly say that this is where the story really gets started.

Yuuri wove between the dense treeline with a soft smile on his face. The three of them had made a lot of progress toward the imperial meridian these last two days, and Phichit was leveling much more quickly than Yuuri had anticipated.

_’The system may have stripped me of my stats and levels, but I still have the memories.’_ Peach had said when Yuuri had inquired about the quick progress. Yuuri wasn’t sure if he fully understood what the enigmatic alpha was trying to say, but he got the gist. It was easier for Phichit to raise his stats because they used to be higher. Back before he was a crow. 

The situation still baffled Yuuri. He couldn’t find a way to fully wrap his mind around the things that Phichit had explained to them. It wasn’t much, however, and Yuuri was sure that there was more to the story than his companion had let on. He would allow Phichit to keep his secrets either way, Yuuri understood what it was like to lose your family and friends and couldn’t find it in him to try to preach about how one should cope with loss.

Otabek had changed a lot in the last week as well, and Yuuri couldn’t help but thank the system that they’d stayed those extra days in the village. Whatever Otabek had done with that blacksmith had done wonders for his confidence. The boy was still the same quiet kid he’d been, but there was now a strength of character and a sense of purpose behind those eyes that had been lacking before. 

It made Yuuri feel great to know that their journey was starting to help Otabek get into a more stable mindset. He couldn’t help himself from worrying about the boy, he wasn’t much for expressing himself and he’d been through so much that Yuuri had been concerned that Otabek had been bottling everything up. He hoped that this newfound happiness lasted through what Yuuri could only assume was going to be a hellish trek through the mountains. 

After a few more hours of walking, it was getting close to nightfall. They decided to camp near a small river they’d found not too far off the main roadway. Since there were three of them now, two would sleep while the other kept watch in six hour shifts. Phichit volunteered to keep first watch and Yuuri agreed. He’d been feeling tired for the last few hours and could use the rest. 

The frequent caravans from the mines had kept this area of the forest fairly clear of wildlife, so hunting for their dinner proved to be futile and Otabek ended up making a stew from the smoked meats and vegetables that they’d stored away in their travels. While Otabek was cooking, Phichit wandered off to practice with his daggers while mumbling complaints about his lost skills and Yuuri sat lost in a daze of insecurity about his future. 

Both of his friends had clear goals that they were working on. Otabek was spending all of his free time practicing his _item creation_. Some of the pelts he’d managed to enchant and mount to the _pocket camp_ even radiated a small amount of heat. The boy was determined to master the ability and heat the entire camp by enchanting all of the items with his _flame manipulation_ , but the progress was slow. Despite the setbacks, Otabek was more determined than ever and his precision in flame magic was starting to become fearsome. Yuuri wasn’t sure if Otabek had considered using those skills in battle, but wanted to see if the boy realized it for himself first. When he did figure it out, Yuuri was sure that it would light an even larger fire under him. No pun intended.

Phichit on the other hand had been hard at work on other goals. The alpha was obviously frustrated by his new level and was doing everything he could to power up quickly. He also mentioned that he now had a skill called _mount_ that was locked on his record until his strength was 15. They weren’t sure, but they had a feeling that if they unlocked that skill, that Yuuri and Otabek would be able to ride Phichit in his crow form. If that was possible, their trip south would be much less treacherous for them all.

The downside was that Phichit had started with a strength of 6 and raising that stat in particular was difficult. It took serious physical activity and hard work to raise your strength and there were few shortcuts that a person could take. That meant that Phichit had spent most of his free time tracking down mobs and training himself into the ground with his daggers. 

Watching Phichit fight was a whole new league all together. He’d explained that he used to be character level 30 and even though some of his old skills were missing and one of his classes had been replaced due to his time in the egg, he’d retained a lot of the muscle memory from his previous fighting ability and hoped to be ‘back in business’ soon.

Yuuri wasn’t sure what Phichi found lacking in his abilities. When Peach fought, he would use his _siren_ skills to sing and taunt the enemies, catching their attention before quickly showering them with a hale of swift stabs from his daggers. Wherever an enemy was close to striking him, Phichit would then burst into a cloud of mist and seem to teleport to another location and strike them again. The scene was always mesmerizing and Yuuri couldn’t imagine what it would have looked like to see him fight before he was sealed into the egg. 

That left Yuuri himself. He had no idea what it was that he was supposed to be doing. He honestly didn’t have much interest in being a cleric, though he was getting pretty fond of the _holy water_ skill he’d acquired. He could use the skill to clean their bodies and wash away blood after kills, it was also capable of clearing _poisoned_ debuffs, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to test it. He also hoped that he never did. 

His _worldbreaker_ class was still a mystery. Having never heard of the unique class, Yuuri had no idea how to level it or how to acquire new skills for it. And with his _adventurer_ class, since it hadn’t specialized into any subclass he had no clear path to take as well. People usually chose the _adventurer_ class so that the system could analyze their personal style and assign them something that matched them when it specialized. Yuuri had chosen it because he was indecisive. That particular trait of his hadn’t gone away either. 

His only active quest was his _Path of the Unbound_ quest so there were also no hints there. It felt like his entire progression was on hold until he completed that quest and the idea did not give him any relief. 

Yuuri pouted by the campfire, lost in his memories of being locked away in a library to study ancient texts. Had he really done himself any favors by dedicating himself to learning as much about as many different skills and classes as he possibly could? He wondered if he’d ended up mentally crippling himself into indecision by overwhelming himself with choice. Maybe his _worldbreaker_ class could be the key to getting a little bit of everything like he craved, but some part of him still had him feeling hopeless and anxious about his chances of being so blessed. 

He didn’t notice that Phichit had taken the spot next to him until the alpha was slung across his lap dramatically and whining at him playfully while painting a dramatic frown on his face. “Yuu-ri I’m sore.”

“I bet you are.” Yuuri chuckled and began running his fingers through Phichits’ silky dark hair, “You’ve been running yourself into the ground since we left the village.” 

“A bit,” He admitted, “I just think we’d be safest if we could go airborne. The south is a harsh place, even back in its prime. I-I honestly don't know what my country looks like now.”

Yuuri noticed the somber expression that crossed his friends face but didn’t comment. He simply continued to softly pet Phichits hair until Otabek approached the two with bowls of the stew he’d cooked and returned shortly with another portion for himself. The three sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Phichit took a deep breath as if to steel himself and then speaking overly cheerfully. 

“Do you guys want to know how I ended up in the egg?” Yuuri sputtered and nearly spilled his dinner. Otabeks’ eyes went comically wide and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times wordlessly before just putting his head down. 

“You don’t have to talk about it.” Yuuri half-whispered after he managed to pull himself together. Phichit just smiled and took another bite of his food before swallowing quickly and leveling his gaze on the two omegas. 

“I was a _siren_ and an _arcane merchant_ and I’d taken the long journey from a very small town south of _Ashi_ all the way up to _Prosperity._ And, oh man, did it live up to its name.” He smiled and the expression didn’t fully meet his eyes. Yuuri contemplated stopping his friend or saying something but instead simply sat in still silence. 

“It was about six years after Victor and the great warrior Aelian had finally restabilized the south and saved Mir when things started to go downhill. I’d started to make a bit of a name for myself as a bard and a potion maker in Prosperity and no one had caught on that I was of _shadow affinity._ At the time there wasn’t much affinity prejudice left, but there was still some and I didn’t want to get associated with all of the stereotypes of people who have _shadow affinity._ ” He huffed, “There is nothing evil about dark or shadow magic itself. Like with everything, it’s how you use it.” 

Yuuri and Otabek nodded without speaking and allowed Phichit a second to stop himself from getting riled up. “Anyway, the clerics started acting weird. Well, weirder than usual I guess. And I mean for, like, all of the different _Affinity Gods_ , they had all been acting strange. I got a quest to look into the _Shadow Cathedral_ in Prosperity, so I did.” 

His expression fell into a bittersweet and longing grin and Phichit was lost for a second to his memories before he spoke again much more softly. “And that was where I met Chris. He was a beautiful hot mess of an _abyssal mage_ with not a hint of subtlety nor a chance at effectively investigating the church.” He chuckled fondly, “Oh boy was I wrong. What I did not know was that Chris was also a high level scribe and Prince Victor's advisor.” 

“Even though Victor is an _ice dragon_ his affinity was still shadow and he’d noticed the church in Mir was acting oddly as well. He sent Chris to investigate Prosperity and someone less well known was investigating back in Mir.” He paused, “What we found changed everything.” 

Yuuri couldn’t stop himself from shifting forward in attention. This was the kind of thing a scholar like himself lived for; a first person account of a historic event. He was nearly vibrating at the thought of finding out how such a prosperous and stable kingdom fell into ruin seemingly overnight. The scholars in the Northlands at the time either left no account that had been found or never found out for himself. He had a feeling that he was going to find out now. 

“A demon king had opened many cracks into our realm and was slowly converting all of the clerics of the different affinities to false gods he controlled. We never found out how long he’d been at it, but by the time we noticed the corruption there was almost nothing that could be done. The true gods had lost so many power centers that they were nearly helpless and the false gods were rallying their holy warriors to finish them off.” 

He stopped talking again to allow the information to sink in. “Naturally I followed the pretty omega to the capital and threw myself head first into the war effort. For the good of the kingdom, of course.” Phichit winked wryly as if trying to lighten the mood before the bad part.

“It was two years of hell and war before we’d finally been pushed all the way back to Mir. We were the last stand force at the final temple for the _Shadow God_ and we were going to lose. The demon king had too much of a head start on us. We didn’t stand a chance. In a last ditch effort, the shadow god made some deal with a hidden neutral god who could cross into the northern realm.” 

“But everything has a price and the system demands balance. A fledgling crow god in the north would spare room in its temple in exchange for a high leveled totem to be bound to the egg and be rebound to the north.” Phichit sighed, “We had no choice and needed the power boost. And who else could go but me? I could hardly let either of the princes suffer that fate, and the _hell plane_ would shine with holy light before I would allow my mate to go.”

“The deal with the crows gave the shadow god and Victor the power boost that they needed to finally seal the demon king back in the _hell plane_. We survived by an inch but the kingdom was in ruin. And I had to leave for the north.” 

“Somehow the neutral god bound me to the north and the crow god was able to make me it's avatar. I was the totem of the _hugi_ which represents the spirit. I suppose when your skill broke me from the egg, hugi converted to a class. Now I have spirit magic, which is pretty cool.” Phichit chirped at the end as if to gloss over the huge amount of information that he’d dumped on them. A long silence stretched between them all before Phichit decided to again attempt to lighten the mood. “So, Otabek, what do you want to know about Prince Yuri?” 

“You told him?!” Otabek squealed in an embarrassingly high pitched voice that was directed at Yuuri who had started to laugh. 

“No!” Yuuri managed to let out.

“I could hear everything when I was in the egg.” Phichit stated plainly. Yuuri’s eyes widened at that. 

“Even when you were in the ring?”

“Even when I was in the ring.” 

The mood seemed to lighten considerably after Phichit told his story, and while Yuuri was still reeling from the information, he couldn’t help but allow himself to simply accept it for now and move on. He’d be able to hound Peach for details someday, but that day wasn’t today and Yuuri wasn’t so single minded to not notice that. 

Otabek explained that he wasn’t tired yet and that he had some work that he wanted to do, so Yuuri agreed to go ahead and get some sleep so that he could take watch after Phichit’s shift ended. That would give Otabek plenty of time to finish up his work and still get a decent amount of sleep before he needed to take watch next. 

Yuuri wanted to be concerned, but despite his terrible sleeping habits Otabek did seem like he was doing better. It would be best to simply keep an eye on the boy and make sure that he wasn’t hurting himself by working too hard. Instead of saying anything, Yuuri stood from where the three had been eating and used his _holy water_ skill to clean up the dishes and himself. 

He considered once more how much he liked this particular skill as the cool water washed over his being and cleansed him of all the dirt and grime of travel. A pleased purr of relief escaped Yuuri’s lips, earning a chuckle from the other two in the party. 

“He always looks so serene when he’s casting.” Phichit quipped.

“Like a proper cleric.” Otabek noted in his own deadpan sense of humor. Yuuri frowned, unsure of whether he liked the small ways in which Phichit had influenced their youngest member. 

“So we’re just teaming up on Yuuri now?” Yuuri started, “I don’t think the two of you should spend any more time together, we sh-” 

Yuuri stopped talking when his _perception_ noted a huge mass of black in the sky that was moving their way at incredible speeds. His gaze drew the attention of the others in his party and the way they tensed ensured to Yuuri that there was definitely something off putting about the way it moved. It definitely wasn’t a rolling fog. 

The three prepared for battle quickly and stood at attention as the mass closed in on them more quickly than before. As it drew closer, Yuuri could finally make out more details about the mass; It was not simply one creature. It moved like a flock of birds, but from this distance he couldn’t be sure that it was as simple as that. They may not be far off the main roadway, but they also weren’t but a few hours walk from some of the most dense and uncharted stretches of the forest in the south. 

Phichit let out a loud chirp and the mass seemed to startle a bit before heading toward them with renewed vigor and returned chirping. Yuuri noticed that the action seemed to make Phichit relax his shoulders, but Yuuri couldn’t allow himself to calm. 

“It’s a murder of crows.” Phichit spoke to Yuuri and Otabek while taking a step in front of the two omegas protectively. “They should be friendly, but keep your guard up. They seem pretty panicked about something.” 

Then Phichit exploded into a mass of shadow and reformed into a giant crow and shot into the air before their eyes. Loud chirping and erratic flying followed, and through the darkness Yuuri couldn’t tell if it was a fight. Moments passed as Yuuri gripped tightly on the hilt of his dagger and waited to see if this would become a brawl. After what seemed like forever, Phichit landed and the swirling mass of crows took up calm residence in the trees around them. 

He shifted back to his human form and turned to the others. “Ok, big news.” 

Otabek and Yuuri closed in while Phichit took a moment to catch his breath both eyeing the crows nervously. After a beat, Phichit smiled widely and turned to Yuuri. “Remember when I said I’d ask the crows about your temple?” 

“Yeah.” 

“These crows heard that I was asking and came to us with a quest!” He beamed and hopped in excitement. “Here, I’ll share the quest.”

 **New Quest: Corruption of the Forest:** A murder of crows have come to tell you of a corruption that grows deep within the southern forest. A temple that was once maintained by the god of the forest and his followers has fallen into disrepair and been converted into a temple dungeon. The crows believe something powerful and hidden is now taking up residence within. Wild magic is being released and corrupting the nearby area, creating a huge imbalance in the wood.  
Objective: _\- Clear the corruption in the temple - 0/1_  
Optional Objectives: _\- [Worldbreaker] Find the heart of the dungeon. 0/1_  
_\- [Cleric] Convert the temple. 0/1_  
_\- [Unbound] Hidden. 0/1_  
Rewards: _Witness a miracle._

Phichit hopped on the spot excitedly waiting for the other two to finish reading their notifications. As soon as Yuuri and Otabek’s eyes were back in focus, Phichit chirped excitedly. 

“You guys ready for our first dungeon crawl?!”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've said this before, but things are going to start moving pretty quickly from here.  
> As you can see I have been hard at work.  
> I'm going to go ahead and dedicate a full chapter to stats and maps and realm information soon.  
> I just want to make sure everything is right first. *thumbs up*
> 
> I re-did stat sheets again, and I expect one more big overhaul of them before I dedicate a whole ass chapter to lore and basic realm information and character sheets.  
> I also want to note that while I'll list almost all of their respective stats and skills in these sheets, I have a space issue in my document and will tend to leave out the smaller details. If a stat is plot important, it will be listed, but note that this is the full scope of what any of them can do. (Especially Otabek, I'm having a lot of trouble working out some minor details about the skills he should have.)
> 
> All I ask is that you just be patient with my minor adjustments from time to time, I'm still pretty new to writing like this.


	11. Dungeon Crawl Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack gets ready to enter the dungeon.

  
[Img Source](http://www.thievesguild.cc/maps/map?id=30)

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably on the spot as he observed the scene in front of him. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when their party had accepted the quest to clear the forest temple, but this wasn’t it. As if freshly sprouted from the earth, barely visible remains of a structure creeped above ground level exposing only a single opening into it beneath a large and deeply rooted tree. The area was wild with magical vegetation that seemed alive and alert. Despite his stealth skill being activated, Yuuri could almost feel the plants noticing his presence and excitedly waiting for him to come within range. 

Wild and untamed magic pulsed through the air and was so dense that he could feel it like the wind on his skin. Yuuri had observed a small company of ants venture over the barrier of the temples influence and evolve before his eyes. The small insects instantly multiplied in size and savagery before him and turned on and devoured each other until there was only one survivor. The ant that was left pulsed with wild magic and ferality as if it had been imbued with the very essence of survival of the fittest. 

The now much larger creature stalked closer to the tree draped temple toward a gathering of similarly magically irradiated _giant spiders_ and primed itself to attack. Yuuri watched the odd scene play itself out until only one of the _giant spiders_ was left standing, it’s character level now 4 from all the carnage. 

He contemplated getting a bit closer to observe the area but halted himself when he noticed the multiple large sets of tracks pressed into the dirt and trailing along the backside of the temple in a circle. It looked as though something large was patrolling the border and he didn’t want to come too close until he was sure of what it was. His eyes again scanned over the entrance of the temple peeking out from atop the overgrowth of plants on the ground and the nearly feral foliage that was spilling from its entrance. 

Yuuri felt his _ranger craft_ skill activate and fill him with knowledge about the forest. He recognized several variants of common forest plants and noted how they’d also been twisted and mutated by the wild magic. Though he couldn’t be sure, there was no doubt in his mind after what he’d witnessed with the ants that however those plants had changed, it was in a way that would make them considerably more dangerous. 

The only comfort that Yuuri could feel from this situation was that the dungeon itself was fairly freshly sprouted. This meant that it hadn’t had too much time to level up and would hopefully not be too high in level for the three adventurers to clear. Though from the looks of how quickly the area was evolving, they would need to act quickly or they would end up dead. 

Yuuri scouted the area for another twenty minutes or so before the temple guardian came into view. Like its tracks had suggested the creature was huge. It stood at least ten feet tall and had a vaguely humanoid shape. The creature seemed to be made of densely packed foliage with vines twisting and pulsating across its entire body with every step. The being radiated the same wild magic of the area but was more dense than anything else. Upon seeing it, Yuuri couldn’t help but blanch at the strong aura that radiated off it. 

Behind the creature trailed a gathering of small multicolored frogs. They’d kept the size of normal frogs but glowed lightly with either blue, yellow, or bright red light. He had a feeling that those creatures were not as harmless as they seemed and made a point to take count of and note the subtly different behaviors of all three. 

After feeling satisfied with the amount of information that he’d acquired, Yuuri finally risked using his lore skill on the giant patrolling creature while readying himself to run in case the action blew his cover. 

_Forest Golem Guardian - Level 15 - A creature born of the mana within a dungeon. This golem carries the heart of the forest within its chest and is meant to protect a barely formed dungeon until it is stable enough to fully form._

After ensuring that he hadn’t caught the attention of the golem, Yuuri turned and sprinted the mile back to where his pack was setting up camp and planned to gather Phichit and Otabek for some planning. Though his scouting had revealed that the situation wasn’t as dire as he’d originally expected, they could still end up in deep trouble if they didn’t plan everything to the letter. He made a point to proceed with extreme caution on this next mission.

_ >+1 Wisdom. You just made a very smart choice, Yuuri._

The ominous notification blinked in his vision after his thought and stilled him further. Okay, maybe this dungeon was going to be even more difficult that he’d thought a moment ago. And he hadn’t necessarily been taking it lightly either. Once Phichit and Otabek were caught up on everything he’d seen the three would sit down to properly plan their strategy. 

“Those frogs you described,” Phichit hummed while adorning an expression that Yuuri associated with him being lost in memories of his long life, “I came across some of those back before I’d met Chris and fancied myself a bit of an adventurer. The red ones explode when struck, the blue ones emit a paralysing poison, and the yellow ones mess with your head if you get too close.” 

“Mess with your head how?” Otabek questioned in interest. 

“Debuffs mostly. Harmless if you’re not in battle same as the blue ones. But if they get you with _fear, paranoia,_ and _illusions_ while you’re fighting something else it’s a death sentence.

“So the only ones that do direct damage are the red ones?” Yuuri questioned. 

“Yep, they blow up big time when they’re struck with anything. Much damage, such boom.” 

“Noted.” The beginnings of a plan were forming in the back of Yuuri’s mind, but he felt like they still didn’t have enough of an advantage to make an attempt at the dungeon yet. 

The three discussed plans and ideas for the next few hours before Otabek left the huddle to start preparations on their dinner. The weaponsmith gathered scraps of wood and foliage and gathered them beneath the stove with a practiced ease, and moved to ignite the kindling with his _flame manipulation_. As he watched the fire consume the foliage he was struck dumb with realization. 

“Yuuri!” Otabek scrambled to his feet and fumbled his way back to where the other members of his pack were sitting and exclaiming excitedly. “Fire!” 

Yuuri and Phichit both regarded him with amused confusion on their faces as the flustered Otabek realized that he hadn’t actually said anything yet. “Oh! Uhm.. I have fire magic and...isn’t it mostly plants surrounding the dungeon?” 

“Oh.” Yuuri's eyes went wide with both amusement and pride as Otabek explained that he’d finally realized that his fire magic could be used offensively. “Fire will be very effective against the plantlife.”

“Definitely.” Phichit commented with a similar prideful grin on his face. “That means you’ll likely have to take point on this mission, Otabek. Are you okay with that?” 

“Of course.” The younger replied without a trace of doubt on his face. The unyielding faith that Otabek had in the two of them sinking in further and taking them both aback for a moment. Phichit was the first to recover from the surge of emotions, leaving Yuuri to sit dumbfounded for a moment while trying to hold back tears. 

“I was also thinking, Yuuri’s skill with a bow is just unfairly accurate, so it might be smart to have him take a ranged approach during the battle.” He paused for longer than usual before giving Otabek a hard look. “I know it’ll put a lot of the burden of this mission on you, but if you think you can enchant some arrows with your flame magic and take Yuuri’s dagger during the battle, I think we’d be more effective as a party.” 

Otabek’s gaze flashed to Yuuri quickly as if to gauge his expression. Yuuri’s dagger was beautiful and extremely powerful as a stealth weapon. If it was in his hands, with his _spy_ skills and his title he’d be immensely more powerful. The only downside would be that the item was Yuuri’s primary weapon and it was enchanted so if Otabek used it, the item would become _soulbound_ to him and he wouldn’t be able to give it back. 

Yuuri thought long and hard, considering the points that Phichit had made. Yuuri wasn’t going to pretend like his gut instinct wasn’t to reject the idea all together. He’d been using the dagger for years now and had grown extremely attached to the object since he'd received it. Though fact of the matter was that it would be far more effective in the hands of a rogue class than a scholar. There was also no denying that the three of them going in with daggers was a terrible party set up. They needed some ranged balance in their group. 

Though he wasn’t particularly excited about being an archer, there was no denying that as a part of his ranger craft at beginner two his archery was his highest leveled combat skill. Before he could change his mind, Yuuri handed the dagger over to Otabek and tried to keep the small amount of sadness off of his face. This was the right decision and he couldn’t be selfish about it. 

The expression of reverence on Otabeks face was almost enough to rid him of the sting of loss and Yuuri managed to give a small smile of reassurance as Otabek proceeded to bind the weapon to himself. Once it was bound to him, Otabek gave his pack leader a loving smile and turned away sharply to finish cooking. Yuuri didn’t miss the fact that the young omega regarded the spot where Yuuri had laid out his _simple bow_ and quiver of arrows with a look of determination before promptly starting on their meal. Phichit gave Yuuri a knowing look.

“I know that was hard, but I have a feeling it will be more than worth it in the end.” Peach stated comfortingly while patting Yuuri on the back. Yuuri couldn’t help but agree after seeing Otabek give that look. 

The three agreed to give themselves one full day of training before they headed off to the dungeon. Yuuri spent most of that day alone in the forest practicing with Otabeks bow. He wasn’t using his because Otabek had demanded that Yuuri leave his own bow behind for ‘enhancement.’ Clearly Otabek was going to spend the better part of today trying to upgrade his supplies and the thought made Yuuri smile with pride. 

He thought to himself that everything was going to be okay as Yuuri continued to practice different strategies for maneuvering and shooting with the bow. By the time the sun was starting to set in the sky and Yuuri was making his way back to his camp, he’d managed to perfect shooting while moving, dodging, and while casting a heal spell with his bow hand. 

The hard work had paid off immensely as Yuuri leveled his _ranger craft_ skill to beginner three and managed to rank up to _character level_ 7, which gave him small boosts to his perception, strength, and intelligence. 

He made his way back to camp with a bit of a spring in his step. Clearly spending the time to practice with the bow had made him a much more formidable opponent in battle overall. The thought gave him a bit of relief and Yuuri was starting to get excited about their trip to the dungeon tomorrow. Changing up their tactics was obviously the way for their group to survive this and it was stupid to have doubted Phichit for even a second.

He approached the camp to the not so unfamiliar scene of Phichit and Otabek sparring, though something about the way that they were fighting it out now honestly scared the crap out of Yuuri. Phichit was moving faster than Yuuri had ever seen and was covered in the thin layer of black mist that denoted that he had his _spirit armor_ activated and was striking Otabek with a flurry of small stabs that would have made Yuuri shutter if it hadn’t been for the shocking changes that Otabek had been through that day. 

Yuuri was dumbstruck when he saw Otabek. The dark haired boy was covered in a thin layer of flames that he was wearing like light armor with his _ambush dagger_ at the ready. There was no hesitation as the two of them moved and came at each other with everything that they had. From time to time Otabek would get a look in his eye before a gust of flame would emerge from the tips of his fingers and blast Peach, or a strike from his dagger would cause the steel to ignite and burn red hot. 

How was it humanly possible for the two of them to progressed so quickly in so little time? Yuuri could barely breathe as he watched the two fight it out before him. Finally, after much longer than Yuuri’s nerves could take, the flames around Otabek died down and the two halted and collapsed into panting messes on the ground. 

“What the hell was that?!” Yuuri couldn’t help but blurt out as he approached the two in shock, not necessarily upset, but almost jealous sounding as he continued.”How did you both change so much in six hours?” 

“Oh,” Phichit perked up excitedly and pointed at Otabek. “Well, watching him struggle to work on using his flame magic brought up some of my old memories of when I was first starting out with magic. As soon as I remembered I was able to teach Otabek how to put up his _flaming armor_.” 

Otabek nodded excitedly, “As soon as we were both able to fight all out without having to worry about hurting each other, we started progressing fast. Probably because we’re both still pretty low leveled. I leveled up once, learned three new skills-” 

“-And I leveled up twice!” Phichit interrupted like he was physically unable to hold it in any longer. “Sorry, Becks, that was rude.” 

Otabek just chuckled like he was used to it and hopped up off the ground. “The progress slowed down a lot about an hour ago, though. Probably hit the limit of what we can learn from each other.” 

Yuuri nodded along with their story and looked them both over proudly. The two were nearly caught up with him in fighting power which meant that they had a much greater chance of surviving this dungeon. “You guys are so awesome.” 

“So are you!” Phichit bounced up to Yuuri and poked him on the cheek, “Don’t you go thinking that I missed your level up, mister.” 

Yuuri could only blush at the attention before smiling. “I may have done something like that.”

“You’re so cool.” Phichit chuckled and patted Yuuri on the back. “Now, mister pack leader, sir, I have a present to give you before Otabek gives you his.” The Alpha turned to stick his tongue out at Otabek. “Because I won the duel.” 

“Barely!” Otabek shouted before starting to pout. 

“I still won~” Phichit sang smugly before pulling Yuuri to sit down on a log near the campfire. “Okay Yuuri, I need you to close your eyes and do exactly as I say.”

“Okay,” Yuuri chuckled and complied with the request. 

“I want you to think about your mana. Really find your center and _feel_ it inside of you. Let me know when you can.” 

Yuuri nodded and focused his thoughts inward. He tried to focus on the memories of when he used his magic. Those times when he’d feel the small pull of his mana draining. That spot inside of him where his mana was stored. It took a few moments for Yuuri to mentally block out the outside world and find that place within him, but once his thoughts lingered on the inner pool of power, it was as if the presence of it within him shone brighter and stronger. 

_ >Congratulations! You have found your source. This is the first step in truly becoming a master of magical manipulation. Once you can find and feel the magic within you, the act of using it becomes much easier. _

“Found it.” Yuuri practically squealed with excitement as he noticed the notification in his record. Even when he broke his concentration and opened his eyes to regard Phichit, Yuuri could feel the presence of mana inside of him like never before. It was like he’d become attuned to it and it was forever a part of him now. Simply another part of his body. “This is so cool.” 

“Don’t get too excited, this isn’t even the cool part.” Phichit smiled and instructed Yuuri to close his eyes once more and dip into his mana pool. “Now I want you to try pulling the mana out of the pool and wrapping your body in it. You may be a little clumsy at first, but you want to try to spread it out within you first, then shove it all out at once evenly distributed across your whole body.” 

This part took much longer with Yuuri nearly cursing and breaking his concentration in frustration. The mana within him was hard to manipulate, and as he tried to mentally guide it across his body it was almost slippery and defiant, sometimes practically fighting back against him. After what felt like hours Yuuri finally felt as though he’d coated the entirety of his body with the mana and pushed it out, generating another notification in his vision.

_ >You have learned a new skill [Divine Armor]. _

_Skill: Divine Armor - You can now shield yourself with the power of your faith. +1 point of armor per each point of mana channeled into the spell when cast._

“Wow.” Yuuri said in excitement while looking over his new spell and channeling all of his mana into casting it. The action came to him much more naturally now that he’d gained the skill and Yuuri jumped up to hug Phichit tightly. “This is amazing. I-I don’t even know what to say.” 

“Don’t say anything. We’re family, so it’s nothing.” Phichit winked wryly while repeating the words that Yuuri had spoken many times since he’d left his egg. 

“My turn?” Otabek interrupted nervously while holding onto a package wrapped in thin cloth. Yuuri nodded and accepted when it was handed over. “I put everything I had into it. I honestly can’t even believe that it turned out so well.” 

Yuuri unwrapped the package and noticed the quiver first. It had been dyed black, somehow, to match his cloak and armor and was faintly glowing to denote that it was enchanted. Inside were a variety of arrows, each that had obviously also been enchanted in different ways. Yuuri could feel the varied types of magic coming off of them and determined that most of them were the result of Otabek’s ability to possibly naturally enchant items that he crafted. 

As Yuuri understood it, if Otabek wasn’t actively trying to channel his fire magic into an item, there was a 20% chance that the item could come out naturally enchanted. They weren’t sure if the enchantment was completely random or if there was some unknown factor as to what enchantment would end up on the item like what environment the wood came from or possibly something even more ambiguous. Yuuri was taken aback by the sheer number of arrows that had fit into the quiver between the flame arrows, randomly enchanted arrows, and the regular ones. He assumed that whatever enchantment that was on the quiver was responsible for that fact. He examined the item. 

_Quiver of Eros [Artificial Set]: This quiver was made with love to become a set with the Cloak of Eros. Arrows shot from this quiver have a +10% Chance to Charm or stun target if the wielder is wearing the Cloak of Eros. Storage 75/150 Arrows._

Yuuri held in his gasp and finished unwrapping his bow that was now definitely not a simple bow anymore. The dark wood was now stained a dark blue to match with the rest of his armor and the string seemed to hum with excitement as he regarded it. All along the colored wood were etchings of runes and silver lines of magic that trailed along the length until they all connected in complicated patterns at the grip. Yuuri’s eyes filled with tears as he regarded the gift he’d been given. 

_Yuuri’s Bow[Mystic]: A mystic item can only be created when a natural craftsman creates a work of devotion and loses themself to the spirit of creation itself. When a mystic item is wielded by the subject of that devotion it naturally evolves to be of use to them only. Any other who tries to wield the item will find no benefits. +15 Damage. Soulbound. Mystic Effects: [Unassigned]_

Yuuri sat for a moment with a blank expression and growing emotion before pouncing on his pack members and starting to weep with joy. He held them and cried for an embarrassingly long time, all trading words of love and pride until they finally managed to pull themselves together and finish their final preparations. 

Tomorrow, the real battle would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is healthy and safe!!


	12. Dungeon Crawl Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please redirect all complaints about this late chapter to Tom Nook.  
> He has put me in deep debt and as a quality citizen I have spent all of my free time paying him back.

The trio was up, packed, and ready to go as the first light of morning broke through the night sky. After finishing a day of rigorous training, the three ate nearly their body weight in rations and planned their strategy for the dungeon. Once they had a decent plan formed between them, Yuuri rolled into the nest to force himself into a far too early sleep. 

While Yuuri slept, Phichit and Otabek packed up anything non-essential then practiced combat together against random forest mobs while clearing the path almost halfway to the dungeon. Their experience gained was minimal, but the two were growing more coordinated in their fighting styles with each battle won. 

Neither of them would go so far as to say that they thought what lay before them would be an easy task, but they were confident that they would be able to stand against a fairly well leveled dungeon with their skills at this moment. As the two of them were heading back, Phichit let out a contented sigh and punched the air with a victory symbol. 

“You okay?” Otabek chuckled. 

“Just unlocked my mount skill.” Phichit did a little happy dance. 

“Nice.” Otabek answered in his typical tone which seemed far more disinterested than it actually was. 

“Right?! That means I can start leveling it as soon as we finish this quest.” He paused to do a dramatic spin that ended with a dramatic finger pointed directly in Otabeks’ face. “Do you know what that means?” 

Otabek snorted. “No clue.” 

“It means we’re flying, bitches!” Phichit exclaimed before shifting into a crow and gesturing for Otabek to climb on. Since there wasn’t much distance back to their camp, Otabek relented and went on the awkward and terrifying ride. 

When they returned, it was starting to get dark. Yuuri was sleeping comfortably in the tent and the two played rock, paper, scissors for who would climb in and sleep next. Phichit lost, leaving Otabek to excitedly exclaim that he wanted to make Yuuri some more arrows before telling Phichit to go to sleep. 

Since the two were quite the night owls, the idea of sleeping so early made them both uncomfortable, but they needed to adjust so that they would all be well rested by first light. Lucky for them both that Yuuri knew how to make a tea that brings sleep. Otherwise, Phichit would have gone insane while trying to force himself into early rest. 

Otabek did as he said and watched over the camp while carving more arrows for the party. While patrolling the area, he and Phichit had looted several feathers and as they were the limiting factor in his arrow making, he was more than excited to have them. When the time finally came around for Otabek to wake Yuuri and take his turn at sleep, Otabek stuffed the additional arrows into his bag and downed his tea. 

Yuuri spent the early parts of his morning cooking breakfast for his pack. He wanted something quick and easy to eat while they were on the road, but that would still be filling enough for the group to have plenty of energy. It was a tall order, but Yuuri had bought some special ingredients back at the small village they’d visited last. 

He woke his two friends up as he saw the sun starting to rise in the sky and the three were fully equipped and munching rice balls as they ventured down the path that Phichit and Otabek had formed yesterday. Off toward the dungeon.

As they’d discussed the day before, Otabek would not speak during this dungeon crawl at all to ensure that he kept the effects of his title. His silence shouldn't cause them any trouble since they all knew the plan and if anything had to be changed on the fly it would be Yuuri calling out the orders. They’d agreed to this not only because Yuuri was their party leader, but also because he was in the ranged position for this fight and would have a better scope of the battlefield. Hopefully they’d thought of everything. 

When they reached the mouth of the dungeon, Yuuri blanched at how much had changed in such a little amount of time. The foliage inside the area of effect was now standing taller than Otabek and still appeared as dangerous as before. 

No longer could he simply see the tracks of the golem on the ground, even as Yuuri climbed up into the same tree he’d used to scout before. The entire area was overgrown and looked to be full of dangerous wildlife. He no longer noticed any other wildlife in the area either and he could only assume that the plants had consumed them somehow. 

Phichit and Otabek joined Yuuri in the tree and activated their stealth at his command. The trio finished up their breakfast as they scouted the area as best they could through the dense foliage. They wouldn’t approach the dungeon itself until they got eyes on that golem. The creature was of a much higher level than them and could possibly be even more powerful now than it was when Yuuri had visited before. That was not the kind of beast you wanted to be able to sneak up on you at all. They likely wouldn’t be able to stand a chance against the golem unless they managed to ambush it. Hopefully with its own little frog followers. 

Time seemed to pass more slowly the longer they waited for any sign of life in the area. It shouldn’t take very long for a beast of that size to circle the perimeter, and Yuuri was starting to grow anxious. The feeling of nervousness and paranoia coursed through him at uncontrollable speeds. Was this a mistake? Why had he agreed to be in charge of this mission? He was going to get Otabek, Phichit, and himself killed? And for what? A quest for himself. He couldn’t do this. He wasn’t anyone special anyway, why did he keep holding onto this delusion that he was going to do something great? Was he really willing to get his friends killed over this? 

The feeling hit a crescendo in his head and Yuuri started panting with anxiety. He could feel the familiar beginnings of a panic attack taking him when a sharp movement from his right shocked him for a moment. Otabek had pulled out his _ambush dagger_ and dug it into the tree directly next to Yuuri’s head. Yuuri sat frozen in terror for only a split second before all the intense feelings that had overtaken him started to dissipate. He glanced to the spot where Otabek had planted his weapon. Pierced right through its center was a _yellow frog_ broken and bleeding. 

“Are you okay Yuuri?” Phichit asked while Otabek seemed to ask the same question with his eyes. 

“Shit,” Yuuri mumbled while rubbing his head as the debuff left his system. “These things are horrible.” 

“Yeah,” Phichit mumbled. 

Otabek nodded. Although he wanted to elaborate further, he chose to keep the added power his title granted to himself instead. He wished that he could explain the strange way that he could feel that the frog was trying to affect them. The fact that he’d gained a new skill _mental manipulation resistance_. The fact that he was starting to understand his new blessing _true sight_ a bit more. There would be time for them to discuss that further once all of this was over. For now, Otabek realized that he would be more crucial in this battle than even Phichit and Yuuri could understand. His eyes narrowed with a renewed sense of purpose as he scanned the area once more. 

Phichit broke the silence. “Okay, I’m worried that we won't be able to scout anything with all this overgrowth, we need to clear some of it out.” 

Yuuri nodded, “I was thinking the same. I think we should get a good position and I should start a few fires with these arrows.” He paused to pat the quiver on his back. “Then we can judge how the plants respond, and, you know, get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.” 

“Otabek?” Phichit inclined his head toward the silent omega, “You agree?” 

Otabek nodded once more and the new plan was put into motion. 

Yuuri took position on the highest branch that he could find overlooking the dungeon and its area of effect. Phichit and Otabek had taken positions lower to the ground in places where they could attack if needed. They were prepared for his next actions to start quite a ruckus, but in truth, they didn’t have a single way to know what it was that they were going to face. 

Yuuri scanned the overgrown area with his arrow drawn, mentally mapping for the perfect places to strike when he caught a glimpse of something red and grinned. He slowly released the tension on the string and placed his _flaming arrow_ back into his quiver. Instead he pulled out one of his randomly enchanted arrows, one that he never thought he’d be using this way and prayed that he wasn’t making a huge mistake. 

He quietly called down to his companions, “Grab a hold of your branches, this might get messy.” 

Neither of the two replied to his words, but he noticed the small movements from both of them as they followed the order. Yuuri drew back his bow and said another silent prayer to the system that he wasn’t doing something very reckless. With a deep breath, Yuuri released the _arrow of chain lightning_ into the small burrow of red frogs that he’d noticed on the ground and grabbed a hold of the tree with all of his strength. 

For a beat, nothing happened. 

It started with a small crackling sound, once that grew louder and louder as if time had slowed seconds down to minutes. The air grew thin and Yuuri found it hard to breathe as if all the oxygen in the area had been stolen. What followed was a set of explosions that Yuuri was glad that he wasn’t able to see. He gripped hold of the tree with all of his strength as the tree shook violently from the shock waves of the blasts. His ears rang and his breathing became erratic as he held back the violent coughing that would be sure to knock him free of his tight hold. 

The loud ringing seemed to echo for longer than Yuuri could deem possible, his perception of time having been completely wrecked from the adrenaline that was working overtime to boost his muscle strength enough that he would hopefully not fall to his death. That and the lack of oxygen in his brain despite his frantic gasping. Darkness crept in the corners of his vision, causing his panic to increase tenfold. 

That panic only caused the darkness to creep in further as Yuuri inhaled clouds of smoke at an alarming rate. A rush of calm fell over him as his eyes glazed over with the beginnings of unconsciousness. His lungs seemed to have given up on this fight all together. 

He let out a small chuckle as he noticed the small _yellow frog_ that was making its way across a long branch toward him. He didn’t have the strength to draw his bow and stop it, even if the violent shaking of the tree had become manageable. 

Yuuri braced himself for another round of anxiety. His only hope was that he could keep himself from falling from this tree. And he was sure that even an anxiety attack wouldn’t cause him to let go and allow himself to fall to his death. It would be uncomfortable, but he would make it through this. When he fell in range of the frog's skill, a single tear ran down Yuuri’s face. This yellow frog didn’t bring _fear_ or _paranoia_ no, this one brought Yuuri _illusions_ and memories. Either way, he lost himself to it, even if just for a moment. 

_The Dead Isle of Hasetsu, a proud island east of the northern continent and known for its rich history of great adventurers. It was those historic adventurers who conquered the Dead Isle from the demonic presence that had once inhabited the northlands. Though no crop would grow in its soil, the proud adventurers dubbed the Hasetsu Knights chose to inhabit the area to spite the demon who once loved the land._

_Through trade and military power, Hasetsu became a beautiful and prosperous island that stood against the growing demonic threat in the northern realm. It was his home and he missed it so much._

_Yuuri had been doing his scholarly training in the port city of _Starfall_ for five years. And though he’d visited many times over the years, he’d grown unbearably homesick after a particularly embarrassing failed presentation to the academy. Deciding on a whim that he’d like to sulk at home, Yuuri hopped the first ferry back to his hometown to spend some time with his family. _

_When he arrived the entire city felt wrong. There was nothing of note out of place, but it seemed like most of the population was living in fear and shrouded in secrets. Still, Yuuri took the long road back to his family onsen and was not given the warm welcome he’d expected. When he breached the front doors to the building their faces seemed to drop in horror._

_In that moment their faces seemed to contort into something demonic and Yuuri started to struggle against the twisted memory. Words were exchanged. He couldn’t remember what they were, but they were rushing him to leave. Telling him it wasn’t safe. Saying he needed to go back to Starfall._

_Suddenly he was on the ferry once more, his entire aura draped in a veil of sadness. His family shooed him away with panicked words of love, a small pile or gold, and unshed tears. He couldn’t fathom why they wanted him to go away._

_A week passed and word of Hasetsu’s fate hit Starfall. A hell portal had opened. The city was destroyed. The proud Hasetsu warriors had tried to seal it once more but failed. Someone needed to tell the king. War was coming._

_Yuuri ran south full of regret and heartache._

Yuuri felt an impact wrack his entire body and his vision flooded with notifications. 

_ >You critically attack [Red Frog] with [Arrow of Chain Lightning] _  
_ >[Red Frog] takes 72 damage. _  
_ >[Red Frog x42] Activates [Explode] _  
_ >You have gained [Worldbreaker] experience +460 _  
_ >You have incinerated [647] plant horrors. {See breakdown…} _  
_ >You have gained [Worldbreaker] experience +1294 _  
_ >[Ranger Craft] has leveled up. It is now Beginner 6. _  
_ >You have incinerated [Forest Golem Guardian] _  
_ >You have gained [Worldbreaker] experience +6233 _  
_ >Class [Worldbreaker] has leveled up. It is now level 8. _  
_ >Some level up rewards withheld. _  
_ >You have earned a title [...Survivor] _  
_ >[Survivor] You have single handedly defeated a foe of more than twice your own character level proving that you are not one to be trifled with. Such a feat takes a certain kind of talent. Title grants the character traits [Lucky] and [Cunning] _  
_ >New menus available. _  
_ >You have unlocked character traits. Details about character traits can be accessed in the [Traits] tab of your record. Now unlocked. _  
_ >You have incinerated [Blue Frog x22] _  
_ >[Blue Frog x22] Activates [Paralyzing Gas] _  
_ >You have gained [Worldbreaker] experience +260 _  
_ >You resist [Paralyzing Gas]. Failed. _  
_ >Your lungs are paralyzed. 15/15 sec_  
_ >You have incinerated [Yellow Frog x17] _  
_ >You have gained [Worldbreaker] experience +200 _  
_ >You resist [Illusion]. Failed. _  
_ >[Illusion] effect ended. _  
_ >[Cloak of Eros] skill [Divine Shell] activated. Success. _  
_ >[Divine Shell] nullifies 453 falling damage. _

“What?” Yuuri mumbled under his breath as he regained control over his body. His notification gave him a decent picture of what he’d accomplished, but he had other more important things on his mind. He needed to make sure that his team was okay. Yuuri shot upright into a sitting position and scanned the area. Almost all of the plant life in the area had been burnt to a crisp. There were multiple small fires still burning in the area, and bits of soot were still falling from the sky. 

Yuuri got to his feet and scrambled back toward the tree he’d fallen out of to look for Phichit and Otabek. It wasn’t long before he saw the two of them sprawled out on the ground and knocked unconscious. He dashed over and started frantically casting his _purify_ and _heal_ skills on his pack mates until he was sure that they were okay. Then he had to wait until they woke up. 

It only took a few minutes for the two to gather themselves and begin to shower Yuuri with praise. Peach kept going on and on about the explosion being awesome while Otabek simply patted him on the back encouragingly. But, he didn’t feel accomplished. His recklessness had put them both in a ton of danger. 

“Since this is a fresh dungeon, chances are that getting inside of it would be the hardest part.” Phichit mused while Otabek continued to eye Yuuri cautiously. It was as if the spy could tell where Yuuri was heading mentally and was trying to gauge whether or not he should be getting involved. “So, even though what you did was dangerous, it was likely much safer for us than getting directly involved with the golem.” 

Otabek pointedly nodded at the words and Yuuri thought about them for a moment. “You two could have gotten seriously hurt.” 

“Well, yeah, but you had no idea how many frogs were going to explode. It was the smart move even with the risk.” 

“I guess you’re right.” Yuuri mumbled to himself while pulling out his enchanted waterskin for a sip. The cool and refreshing liquid was heaven on his smoke stained tongue and he let out a pleased exhale. “Anyone feel like running around to check for loot?” 

Phichit jumped up quickly and started sprinting over the scorched earth, occasionally stopping for a moment to bend down and pick something up before pocketing it and continuing his hunt. Yuuri watched with a small grin and turned to Otabek, “I wonder if all crows love loot.” 

Otabek smiled and Phichit called out with false anger. “We do and I can hear you.” 

“Find anything good?” 

“Nothing substantial; some coins, tons of weird herbs, and this glowing gem thing.” He held up a crystalline orb with a center of dark mana into the air. “I can't identify it.” 

Yuuri could barely contain his excitement as Phichit skipped over and showed him the orb. A _lore_ check pulled up no information, but Yuuri was sure that it had something to do with one of his quests for this place. He eyed the thing reverently. “Maybe it’s for my hidden quest?” 

“Maybe.” Phichit hummed, “I’m sure it’ll have something to do with this place, we’ll have to be sure to check every corner.” 

Yuuri answered by vibrating with so much excitement that Phichit had to stop looking at him. The man's excitement was both way too adorable and way too intense for his liking. The three regrouped for another couple of minutes before cautiously making their way to the dungeon entrance and pulling open the large wooden doorway. With a few more steps, the door slammed shut behind them and melted into the foliage. All three of them had a feeling that there would be no leaving this place until they’d cleared the entire dungeon. They didn’t want to even consider the other option. 

As the leader, Yuuri knew it was his job to lead his party onward. Despite his fear, Yuuri’s feet managed to take the necessary steps forward to scout the first open area of the dungeon. The entry room was large and made of old stone. Tall forest green pillars rose toward the center of the space, where a large campfire crackled. Flower covered vines fell from the ceiling wrapping the pillars lengths down to the ground where they twisted into each other creating pathways through the space. 

Upon a spit over the center fire was the charred and burnt corpse of what appeared to have been a fairly large sized goblin. Upon noticing the scene, the smell hit Yuuri’s senses and caused him to vomit from how putrid it was. In a semi-circle around the fire lay hay and straw mats which were all of varying size and filthy beyond measure. A few of the blue frogs hopped around the space, but there weren’t many and they could easily be disposed of. 

Yuuri activated his stealth and moved in closer to the camp. Some of the beds were far too large to belong to a goblin, and with a goblin on the spit he couldn’t wrap his head around what had been camping here. With how burnt the corpse was, though, Yuuri could guess that it had been burning for at least a day. That meant that whatever it was that was camping here could likely be somewhere deeper within the dungeon. 

Yuuri gave the order for the party to search the room. The frogs gave almost no resistance and none of the three ran into any other enemies while they completed their search. Otabek found two small statues which, when rotated, revealed two different pathways that led deeper into the dungeon. Yuuri held his right arm out as a symbol of his vote. Otabek followed suit choosing the hallway to the right as well. Phichit, who had chosen the left passageway, lowered his hand in defeat. “You win.” He mumbled.

Yuuri led the way down the twelve steps and into the long wide and dimly lit hallway. The hall was in perfect condition, showing no signs of wear of the reclamation's of nature as the rest of the structure had. All along the right side of the wall were beautiful tapestries. Despite the damage of time and neglect, Yuuri could still see them being regarded as great works of art. He gave them each a glance, trying not to lose his focus looking for traps as he slowly became entranced by the depictions of ancient races, large magical structures of the past, and rituals of grand magic being performed. 

And the far end of the hall stood a dead end with a tapestry of a great forest god shielding the lower animal gods beneath his outstretched arms and radiating warmth. Stood as if hiding behind the tapestry was the stone statue of a spell caster which was crumbling from the chest down. It likely wouldn’t stay standing longer and Yuuri couldn’t help but frown sadly at it while moving the tapestry to the side to regard the detailed artwork. 

The warrior was beautiful and her face was so well sculpted that Yuuri couldn’t believe that he was looking at stone. He’d heard that people were simply much more talented back in the ancient days, but to see this level of detail outside of a royal museum was unheard of. Yuuri couldn’t help getting lost regarding the statue until Phichit finally had to come over and grab him. 

“Come on Yuuri, Otabek didn’t find any trap doors in this hallway, it’s just a bunch of old tapestries and that crumbling old sta-oh my god.” Phichit stopped his talking and ran his fingers across the face of the woman in shock. “It’s her.” 

“Who?” Yuuri questioned, shocked by the expression and tone coming from Phichit. 

“She’s, uhh, it’s hard to explain. Remember when I told you I was the Hugi, the spirit of the crows?”

“Yeah.” 

“She’s my other half, the Munnin, or the memory of the crows. We kept the balance of the crow god's power. I was the anchor for the spirit and the spirit plane and her the anchor for the memory and the mortal plane. Think of her like a god’s avatar. It’s a title that’s passed to a mortal. They carry the memory of the crows on the mortal plane as a devout follower. We...had a bond of sorts, as two sides of the same coin.” His face turned wistful and sad for a moment before he whispered. “I wonder if it’s my fault she is like this.” 

“I don’t think so.” Yuuri decided to interrupt that train of thought immediately, “Why would I get the crow’s blessing if the crow god didn’t want me to wake you? Doesn’t make sense.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” Peach hummed while examining the statue with heightened curiosity. “This statue makes no sense. Keita was just a regular adventurer of this time. There is no logical reason such a detailed and aged statue of her should exist. Thought, the forest god is the king of the forest's animal gods it would make some sense for her to come here.” 

Phichit trailed off in thought and Yuuri backed away and gave Phichit a moment alone with his thoughts. There was obviously something strange going on in this dungeon, some kind of secret that only he could unlock. Why else would he have been granted that hidden quest for his unbound skill? There was more to this dungeon than met the eye. 

Otabek motioned that he’d scout ahead before slipping away into the shadows. Yuuri couldn’t blame him for being a bit antsy, they were all keyed up for a big battle and they hadn’t run into anything yet. Had Yuuri really on a stroke of luck killed anything worth fighting? His thoughts were broken when Phichit finally spoke again. 

“Yuuri?” 

“Yeah Peach?” 

“I’m going to sound crazy right now, but I think that gem we found in the golem was pulled from Keita.” 

“Okay,” Yuuri nodded his head a few times and tried to digest what Phichit was saying. “Let's say that is the case. What do you suggest we do?” 

"Can I see the gem?” He held out his hand. Yuuri nodded and pulled the strange object out of his ring and handed it over. Phichit studied it more closely and hummed in excitement. “Ok, mister worldbreaker, I want you to stick this thing in her chest. Like, right where it's crumbling the most.” 

Phichit handed the gem back to Yuuri who raised an eyebrow up at him, “Why do I have to do it?’

“Because if it was going to work for anyone, it would work for you.” 

“That's...actually a good point.” Yuuri conceded while approaching the statue and holding the gem into her chest. For a moment nothing happened, then Yuuri was given a prompt. 

_Do you wish to bind [Soul Stone] with [Husk]? [Yes] or [No.]_

Yuuri selected [Yes] and waited for something to happen. The gem stayed suspended in the chest of the statue and slowly sank into it before disappearing completely. Moments passed and nothing happened. Both Yuuri and Phichit sat in silence and waited for some sign that they’d made the right choice. 

At that same moment, Otabek was looking into a room on the far side of the dungeon in shock. As if painted in a thin layer of blood, nearly every inch of the room was covered. Everything from the walls themselves, to each of the carved clay pots and trinkets that lined the shelving on the back wall. In the dead center of the room was a dead minotaur, the beast seemed to have been drained of all it’s blood and it’s chest was carved out with surgical precision. Otabek noted that the beasts’ heart was missing from the cavity, along with one of it’s lungs. 

From the corpse of the minotaur was a path to the far hallway leaving tracks of cleanliness in it’s wake. The large and frog like steps being the only part of the entire room that wasn’t coated. Otabek frowned and creeped further into the space. If his battle in the hallway previous was any indication, their party was vastly over leveled for this dungeon. 

Though at the rate it was growing, he wasn’t surprised. It would likely have been a force to be reckoned with if they’d stumbled upon the site a few weeks from now. A dungeon like that would take a full party to clear, like the one where he’d met Yuuri. Taking some comfort in his thoughts, Otabek followed the clean footsteps into a long hallway that was similarly completely covered in blood. This room had some sentient plant life at the far end that was squirming uncomfortably under the gore it had been coated in. The hallway seemed to have no destination, with no doors or connecting hallways to follow, but Otabek needed to only follow the clean footsteps to a place in the wall that looks no different than the rest. 

He placed his hand on the wall hesitantly and felt a small tingle as his fingers passed through as if nothing was there. Otabek smiled softly and entered the well hidden space. He wondered if the entrance itself was enchanted with illusion magic or if there was some other factor at play here. Either way, as soon as Otabek was on the other side of the illusion he was stopped in his tracks. 

Huge and rusted metal blades jutted down from the ceiling and the walls on either side of the staircase. Some of the sharpened blades were so long as to touch the stairs themselves and would surely have carved up any and all unwanted intruders. These stairs used to be heavily trapped, and yet it appeared as though all of the traps had been triggered and not yet reset. Was their party simply too late and someone else had already cleared the dungeon? It would explain how little resistance he’d come across while scouting.

He pushed those thoughts aside and began the complicated task of descending the staircase while dodging the various traps that had been activated on it. It took much longer than Otabek would have liked, but the omega was finally able to squeeze through into the dimly lit antechamber after a few moments. 

The large chamber seemed to be divided into three parts. The first had several hooks hanging from the walls, and from which a single robe was hung and in pristine condition. A thick light green draped curtain stretched from the partial walls and into an adjoining room that Otabek peeked into. On the far side of the curtain was an immaculately adorned and oddly clean dry wash basin that appeared to have been built into the floor. There was not a speck of dirt or foliage in the entire area, and the spy felt a twinge of discomfort at the idea of continuing on though the chamber without a bath first. 

He turned on his heel and headed back to his party, deciding that he’d scouted far enough ahead and should wait until they were all together to press any further forward. When he reached the long hallway covered in tapestries, Otabek noticed the strange energy of the space. 

“Are you two okay?” Otabek questioned as he approached the odd scene, finally giving up on his silence in lieu of genuine concern. It took a moment to register, but it was obvious that Phichit was holding a crumbling statue and crying over it. Yuuri was sitting stoically, clearly trying to withhold his own tears. 

“Uhm,” Yuuri gave Peach a small pet on the head and turned toward Otabek. “Peach knew this person and...She did not make it.” 

Otabek nodded solemnly and further approached the group. He still didn’t really understand what was going on, but as he learned when Phichit hatched, sometimes it was better not to ask questions. A few more moments of silence passed as the stone statue crumbled to pieces before their eyes.

Otabek spent their silent time quickly throwing the group some lunch together from the leftovers in his bag. He handed a small bowl to Phichit who sniffled and looked up with a sad smile. “Thank you, Becks.” 

“You’re welcome.” He hummed in response while handing another bowl over to Yuuri, who had the unsure expression of a worried parent. Yuuri took the bowl with a nod of thanks and patted Phichit on the head. 

“I’m sorry, Peach.” Yuuri spoke softly, like he was unsure if his condolences would be welcomed.

“Thanks, Yuuri. I just can’t wrap my head around it.” He hung his head and took a small bite of his food. 

“Well, we freed her spirit. That’s something at least, she’ll be able to pass on properly.”

“Yeah.” Phichit trailed off and the trio ate their lunch in relative silence for a few moments before he continued. “So you got an objective complete message.” 

“Yep, It was _find the heart of the dungeon._ Though I’m surprised that it didn’t complete until we used it on her. Not when we found it in the first place.”

“The system works in mysterious ways.” Phichit shrugged bitterly. “Something about all of this is making me uneasy.” 

“How so?”

“Well, I was the totem of the crow god, and she was the avatar. If we both lost our power…” Phichit trailed off as if lost in thought. 

“You’re thinking?” 

“Yep.” Phichit answered quickly, leaving Otabek to raise an eyebrow at them both in question. 

“Well, if a god loses its power source and places of power they have nothing left.” Yuuri explained further before he was again cut off by Phichit. 

“So if both her and I were released.” 

“Oh.” Otabek stated with wide eyes. 

“Yep, I think the crow god is dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other words, I'm addicted to Animal Crossing. 
> 
> (But I tried to make up for it with an extra long chapter!)  
> I'll try to get the 3rd and final part out this week, but no promises.


End file.
